


The Snake and The Bounty Hunter

by Kalloway (Calloway)



Category: Mortal Kombat - All Media Types
Genre: 10/10 would name things again, Au of sorts, Frenemies, How Do I Tag, I Don't Even Know, I think?, Not Romance, Partnership, includes a few headcanons of mine, super original title btw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-14
Updated: 2017-12-07
Packaged: 2018-07-15 00:17:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 24,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7197395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calloway/pseuds/Kalloway
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After dealings with a sorcerer go awry, Tanya finds herself stranded in the last place she wanted to be - Earthrealm. There, she'll need to work with one of the 'plebeians' she so despises if she wishes to return to Outworld.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

A glaring light and an ungraceful _thud_ upon the loose, dusty soil was all that welcomed Tanya to this unfamiliar place. She remained where she lay for a few moments to allow the world to stop spinning. Well _that_ meeting hadn't turned out like she'd hoped it would at all. The nerve of a pathetic cretin like that sorcerer - to cast her away as if he'd have no consequence to follow! How mistaken he would be once she returned from whence she came... She got to her feet, the ill feeling after having been thrown through that portal now but a scant trace of what it was a few moments ago. Headaches pestered her regardless of the severity, but this filthy sand was much worse. She brushed herself off, taking her first proper look at her surroundings.

Dusty. _Dirty._ Large rock formations broke the otherwise bleak and boring horizon. The ground was not sand, she realized, but a gritty, irritating substance not unlike it nonetheless. There was an extreme lack of green within her line of sight, save for the odd half-dead bush here and there. She might as well be back in that forsaken desert in Outworld so many insisted on calling 'home', even though that place was even less 'alive' than these badlands were. It was at this moment she'd paused in her musings to notice something... the lack of something far more important to her than greenery: magic. The way the air hung heavy and did not resonate with her in the same way Outworld or Edenia had was troubling to her. Disturbing, even... she pulled up the cloak she'd been wearing previously and glanced at her shoulders. Her pyromantic markings had long since faded away, and not a faint trace could be seen of where they were. It was as if instead a great weight was placed upon her shoulders in their place. Tanya heaved a sigh at her deduction:

Of all the places she could end up, she most certainly wished it wasn't _Earthrealm_. Yet, here she was, in the realm which she arguably hated the most. A dead realm, in a more mystical sense. It would cause far more problems than she wanted to even think about at the moment. It seemed that dueling out punishment to that wretched sorcerer would have to wait a while longer. Duplicitous, disgusting little creature.

Knowing better than to simply stand around in the sun all day, Tanya did the only logical thing she thought to do: pick a direction at random to walk towards and hope for the best. Fortunately this wasn't a true 'desert', not at all. Sand was a nightmare to walk in, especially with dunes and wind taken into account, and she was glad the ground seemed solid enough for the time being. She was also most thankful for the cloak she donned to meet the sorcerer in the first place. A sunburn would only add to the steadily growing list of reasons to be rid of this realm that much faster.

She walked on at a rather leisurely pace for another hour or so, taking in the dull surroundings as she went, until the sun was past the midday mark. She was beginning to lose what little hope of finding another soul all the way out here that she'd started with - no trails, no footprints... nothing. Just as she was about to mutter a complaint about the heat for what was probably the third time by now, she heard a sound in the distance, echoing but distorted by the large rock formations she found herself under. It almost sounded like a scuffle of sorts... what kind, she couldn't say, for it was too muffled to make it out. Now, normally Tanya would mind her own business and not stick her nose in the affairs of mortals of whom she could care less about than stepping on a bug unless it was extraordinarily interesting, but she was smart enough to know it was foolish to continue walking to Elder Gods' know where to when she had the possibility of trailing someone - the first signs of humanoid life since she'd arrived - back to potential civilization. She had not survived thousands of years and countless scenarios to die, unknown to anyone, in a place like _this_. In _Earthrealm._

_'Banish the thought! It won't be so simple... I'll make certain of that.'_

Thus she began her approach in the general direction the noise came from, albeit carefully. Though she did not fear anything this realm could possibly offer, she knew it was unwise to simply reveal herself to whomever - or whatever - this may be, and so soon. After all, this realm could hardly be considered 'civilized' in comparison to others, as far as she knew. The voices were growing louder with each passing step, though they seemed to be projecting them purposefully, and sounding increasingly aggravated.

"...next target."

"Think you can match us all, mercenary?"

"... rich after this."

"... full of yourself."

She peered around a rock face to the open area below the shelves she'd climbed upon, preferring to be on the high ground in case things went awry.. Several armed men - about a dozen, she guessed - stood below, addressing another some distance away, presumably the mercenary one of them referred to. _'A lone mercenary? How foolish of he to come alone to a gathering like this...'_

She did not dare step out of her cover just yet, not when tensions were broiling between the two 'factions', if she could even call it such. She was, however, now within earshot and could make out everything they said as she eavesdropped.

"We're givin' ya one more chance to reconsider yer stance, Black. You don't wanna do somethin' you'll regret." This man seemed to head the larger collection of men, she observed.

"You'll regret showin' face here at all when I'm through with you." The lone man was confident in himself... perhaps he had an ego? His voice seemed odd, however... like it was muted somehow.

"Twelve of us here 'slingers, an' one of you... an' ya think _you_ have a chance? Yer bluffin'."

"You obviously don't know me that well, then." There he goes again. Not an ounce of fear in him. Or tact, it seemed.

"No need. Yer inexperienced in comparison, boy. I won't warn ye again: back off, an' we'll let ya off scot-free. A generous offer..."

The man with the mask - she now noticed the source of his muffled voice was this false face he wore - cocked his head, elevating it slightly as if he was taunting them. His hands hovered over his weapons strapped to his thighs, his fingers twitchy and ready, "This discussion's over. Let's go."

The inevitable firefight broke out as the mercenary - 'Black', as the other referred to him as - shot this one in between the eyes in one fluid motion, as if he'd done it a thousand times before. He probably had, to be fair. Tanya, now interested in the outcome of such skewed odds, watched the skirmish erupt as the other eleven men readied their own weapons and held their ground against the mercenary. These weapons of theirs seemed effective and dangerous... perhaps Earthrealm was not as helpless as she had interpreted it to be? She caught herself admiring the skill the mercenary showed, though she tried to stay unbiased as she could. It was as if the strange weapons in his hands were an extension of himself - not unlike her own kobu jutsu or naginata... how she regretted not bringing one or the other with her, now. _'What poor planning, on my part. Not that it would help me any, being in a realm seemingly devoid of magic.'_ He was skilled, but not overly arrogant in his skills, as shown by his lack of 'flair'. Many fighters she'd faced could learn from that. He was doing exceedingly well, his shots deadly accurate as he barely suffered a scratch. The final opponent finally fell with an awful crunch as he was stuck with the butt of the mercenary's weapon and consequentially shot dead. Capable _and_ dangerous. Perhaps there was another way... she bought her time, waiting for the man to clean and reload his weapons and nudge one of the bodies with his boot, before making her approach. She'd hoped he wasn't over-cautious, or this would be a _very_ short conversation.

She dropped down from the rock ledge to the level the battlefield had been on. Purposefully avoiding stepping in any of the blood that'd been spilled - the last thing she needed was disgusting mortal blood on her boot - she slowly approached him until stopping several meters away, not wanting to overstep her boundaries, but close enough he'd know she was there. She decided to play her cards carefully still, just to be safe, "You're quite proficient with those weapons of yours."

He turned in her direction and gestured with one of the firearms in hand almost carelessly at the collection of corpses that scattered the ground, "Friends of yours?"

She scoffed, "Hardly. I don't associate with such brutish figures, usually."

He clapped the revolving chamber of his gun closed and holstered it, "Good for you."

His drawl irritated her, and her expression scrunched up to match, "I don't like your tone."

"I don't care." So _that's_ how this was going to be. ' _Best get to the point, then.'_

"Listen.. since I know nothing of this place nor where to go, perhaps you could be of some assistance to me?"

"I ain't a _guide_ , lady. I'm a _hired gun_." Yes, yes, she knew that already.

"I was not asking for a _'guide'_ ," She mocked his tone, "I was asking for capable assistance with something... substantial, to me."

He'd visibly had enough of this discussion, "Need someone dead?"

She shook her head, "No, I-"

He cut her off with a sharp tone, as if scolding a fool, "Then go find someone else to bother, lady. Got better things to do."

She stared daggers at his impertinent tone. _No one_ interrupts her like that, "Well _excuse me_ if there's no one left to ask, considering you've done a thorough job _slaughtering_ the only other people around!"

He was already walking away when he replied without even bothering to look over his shoulder, " _Tough luck._ "

With that, he left her behind and went on his way, ignoring her haphazard attempts to re-engage in conversation. So _that's_ how it was going to be, _indeed._ She refused to let her one chance at getting to 'civilization' just walk away. Not this time. After a moment to collect herself, she opted for the next best thing: tailing him. Surely he'd head back to a settlement at some point for payment. That was how mercenaries worked, wasn't it? With the foundations of a plan in mind, she set off after the nameless mercenary.


	2. Chapter 2

For a mortal, this man certainly didn't seem to be affected by the blistering heat in the slightest. He insisted on walking, it seemed. _'How curious.'_ She followed the faint, dusty footprints he'd left behind, doing her best to stay just within sight of him - quite a feat when there's nothing to hide one's silhouette in the distance - for no more than an hour until she noticed he was no longer moving in the distance. He had stopped walking, and she could only assume why. Her lips curled up into a smirk as she made her way towards him, and he waited for her to draw near.

When she was within range of his glare, she stopped, allowing him to voice his reasonings, "Do you have a death wish?"

Ah, starting with threats, was he? _Tsk, tsk._ "Your threats fall on deaf ears, bounty hunter. I do not fear you." She did not lie.

" _Why_ are you following me?" His stance became aggressive.

Did he really need a reminder? "As I said before, I know no one and I most certainly know not where to go. Following you is better than wandering aimlessly. Besides, you refused to so much as give me a direction to go. Me following you, is technically your own doing."

"Are you kiddin' me?" His eyes narrowed.

She ignored his ridiculous question, "What _I_ don't understand is _why_? You could have easily pointed in a random direction - the wrong one even - and been rid of me easily. Alas, you did not, and here I am. Now, will you direct me to somewhere other than this ghastly plain we're standing on, or not?"

His expression was incredulous, but he sounded conclusive in reply, "You're just going to follow me anyway."

"An excellent deduction. Perhaps you're not a fool after all?"

He just grunted in response. He clearly wasn't happy about this, and it left Tanya feeling awfully smug. With a shake of his head, he turned his back to her and continued walking, not casting a single glance at her as she proceeded to follow him at a distance.

She did not bother with small-talk whilst on this journey - the bounty hunter certainly made it clear he didn't care either way. Instead, she began to consider her options on how to get back to Outworld, and then deal with that wretched sorcerer. To get back, she would need a portal that could take her anywhere but _here_ in this mortal realm. Finding a way to Outworld from another place would be considerably easier than doing so from here, so she was open to options that took her off-course, if only temporarily. But where in this world would she find something capable of making a portal? Was there any magic at all to this place? Or was it truly devoid of all things occult? Surely other mystical beings have at some point or another been to this realm.. how else would there be tomes filled with information about it? She supposed it was all a matter of following what could quite possibly be some archaic trail of crumbs to find an answer. This was quite an undertaking - she knew this could take quite some time, especially in such an unfamiliar and uncomfortable place. She cast a glance at the back of the bounty hunter several steps ahead of her. He was obnoxiously stubborn and seemed to be very self-oriented; not unlike herself in the latter sense... but he seemed to know his way around. Perhaps he could be of further use to her? Her brow creased as she recalled his earlier impertinence towards her. Perhaps not.

The bounty hunter paused in his pace and gave a fleeting glance over his shoulder, "See that ahead?"

He nodded in emphasis. Ah, yes. That was the outline of structures in the distance. She gave him a curt smile, "That I do."

"Good. Now you can go do whatever it is you gotta do, and leave me out of it." With that he turned and began walking at a brisker pace than before towards the settlement in the distance.

She followed, keeping up with him relatively easily. "That's it? _'There you go, good luck'_? You won't even offer advice or the sort?"

He fixed her a venomous look as he stopped to point a finger in her face, "Do you remember how I said _I didn't care_?"

"I-"

" _That point still stands._ " If his hat didn't sit so low on his head, she'd probably be able to see a vein at his temple with the way his face was scrunched up. He was _furious_ with her.

Something she found amusing, "Very well then, bounty hunter. I shall leave you be. Just know that, while you found my presence bothersome, I actually happened to enjoy our crossing of paths. You mortals take everything so personally." She gave him a genuine - if somewhat pompous - smile with that remark.

His eyes squinted in such a way that she assumed could be a sneer from him, as he abruptly turned and left her behind for yet the second time this day.

Yet another meeting that had not gone according to plan.

With the bounty hunter now quickly growing further and further away from her, she sighed and crossed her arms on the spot. If this is how all mortals in this realm behaved, then she might have even more difficult of a time finding what she needs than she'd anticipated. _'This doesn't change the plan just yet, though. Let's see how the inhabitants of such a settlement behave and go from there.'_ With that, she proceeded in the direction of civilization.

What she wasn't expecting was how busy these roads seemed to be. Then again, what _could_ she expect from such a place? Several men and women walked along the edges of this place, proceeding in and out of buildings labeled 'Saloon' and 'General Store', the former she knew not what it was from the name alone. Equines were practically everywhere - regrettably also leaving their waste behind as well - with some pulling covered wagons and others being pulled along by riders. Some were smaller and different looking from what appeared to be the 'usual' variety - larger ears and tails more akin to the large cat-like beasts one may find in Outworld rather than the other equines with flowing tails - and made horrible noise. Others were considerably larger and less like the other equines; perhaps a different species altogether, with horns that seemed to serve the sole purpose of serving as draft animals. One thing that stood out the most from her observations however, was the fact that most of the passers-by all shared the same, sordid look. Whether it was in their face or the way they held themselves, they all struck her as people who are disreputable in a proper society. She would have to remain guarded, even here it seemed.

Lovely.

There was also a prominent lack of the presence of the bounty hunter as well. This place wasn't overly expansive, in fact it seemed more like a place people just pass through regularly, so it was likely his business was being conducted elsewhere. Tanya was content with not crossing paths with him again, however. Capable warrior or not, she would not miss him or his insolent tendencies. She approached one of the few 'friendlier'-looking mortals idling outside one of the large wooden buildings. He had some kind of small metal plate pinned to his shirt like a badge, but it was too worn for her to read it. When she stopped in front of him expectantly, he glanced down at her from the raised awning in front of the structure and tipped his hat in greeting, "Howdy, little lady."

She presumed this was some kind of greeting? "Greetings, sir."

"An' how are ya on this fine afternoon?"

The best way to lie was to include most of the truth, save a few critical details, "I find myself troubled on this fine afternoon, as you say."

"What be yer problem, little lady? Ya new to these parts?" So clueless.

"I am, in fact. I would like to know where one would go to obtain some information. Do you know where one should go for such a commodity?"

He scratched his chin for a moment, "You talk as if yer one o' them folks from the big town. Where'd'ja say you were from?"

She was starting to regret engaging in this conversation, " _Not from here_. That's all you need to know." She flicked back some of her hair that had blown over her shoulder without a second thought, "Now, will you answer my question? Or do you insist on interrogating me further? I'm... in a bit of a hurry."

From the way he raised a brow, he had misinterpreted both her words and that simple motion, "Ye've got quite the sharp bite there, if I do say so, little lady. No need to act like one o' them ruffians you see out an' about."

"Excuse me?"

He pointed to the pin on his vest, "Yer talkin' to the local Deputy. I'd much appreciate it if yeh'd cut down on the snark, thank-yuh."

She honestly didn't understand half of what this man had just said. How was she meant to reply? "I'll... attempt to do so, sir?"

"Good to know we've established some propriety in this here discussion. Now," The poorly-disguised fake smile returned, "how may I be of some assistance, little lady?"

This was going to be a _long_ day.


	3. Chapter 3

Tanya had attempted to make sense of that so-called 'deputy' for far too long before excusing herself from the conversation. She'd at least learned enough to know that he was most likely a fraud. Something about how he'd insisted on asking questions about where she came from and the way he spoke bothered her. She supposed Earthrealm would have its fair share of leeches, despite these ones being rather awful actors. Or perhaps she was simply to keen to such ploys? She'd been manipulative and deceitful many times before, and had not regretted a single instance of it. These men merely sought material wealth from such things however, and Tanya believed that made her far less evil and petty than those lowlifes. Along her way meandering the paths in this settlement, she'd nonchalantly plucked a knife off a board of papers nearby. Better to be safe than sorry in a place like this, she figured. She caught a few passers-by giving her contemplative looks, as if they were sizing her up by risk and profit. She only regarded them in a snooty manner in return, keeping her head high and shoulders back, just like she'd been brought up back in Edenia. Being born to a family of diplomats and ambassadors left quite a prolonged impact on mannerisms. That's how she liked to think of it, anyway. Oh, how she longed for Edenia once more. If it wasn't this unbearably dull area she just _had_ to be tossed into, it was her prominent sense of self-regard that made her feel that way. She knew her place among these mortals, but they did not know their own when speaking to her. Some called it self-entitlement, but Tanya had been through enough to believe she deserved at least some respect in conversation.

Mulling over her thoughts wasn't enough to let her miss the voices coming from down between some buildings. She recognized a name that she'd caught wind of - 'Black'. Without a second thought, she made her way between the buildings to a semi-secluded area; it seemed like an area one would keep small animals in behind their home, or a garden if there was any grass to have one. A courtyard, if a modest one. There was a rather familiar image beyond the edge of the fence she took cover behind. Several armed men surrounding a lone one, presumably not associated with them. Around this corner of the town, the structures blocked the setting sun, and left it dark enough for details to become obscured from a distance. She decided to eavesdrop before intervening, lest she get involved in the wrong skirmish.

"You enjoyin' your reward, bounty hunter?" This man had his arms crossed as he blocked the view of his conversational 'partner', his ripped cloak hanging heavy form dirt and wear. it probably hadn't been washed in some time - if ever - she noted with a curl of her lip.

The bounty hunter in question made a _'tch'_ sound, "Didn't get the chance to enjoy it yet. Courtesy of you and your toadies." Yes, that _did_ sound like the man she suspected this to be...

"Ya may think yer all gritty an' tough, Black, but yer still just one man." Ah, but they were underestimating this one, just like the last batch did.

"Yeah? And one shot's all I need to end _you_. So I suggest you watch your tone with me, _outlaw_." This was much more interesting when he was using that tone on _other_ people.

"Ever the arrogant lunk-head, eh? Yer ego's gonna get you killed someday. We're only lookin' out for you."

She almost laughed out loud at that sorry excuse, and the bounty hunter seemed just as impressed, "You ain't foolin' no one but yourself, Rodgers. Cut the shit and get on with it."

"You and what firearms?"

Wait, was the bounty hunter unarmed? He had his weapons when he'd left her behind! A shorter member of this group, barely a man, held up a pair of familiar firearms. That little rat.

"Didn't keep a close enough eye on yer lifeline, Black. Too busy gawkin' at them soiled doves, eh?"

Tanya had had enough of sitting around. She saw an opportunity before her that she wasn't going to let pass by.

She moved out from the fence and took a couple steps forward, keeping her attention solely on the bounty hunter of whom she could now see just beyond the tall man in the disgusting cloak, " _Tough luck_ , bounty hunter?"

The incredulous look in his eyes made that jab worth it completely, " _You_ again?"

By now, all of the opposing group - four or five she quickly counted off - had turned their attention towards her. _'I suppose they didn't catch me eavesdropping, then?'_ She wore a cheeky grin, "Yes, _me_ again. Did you miss me?"

He didn't get a chance to answer, not that he even seemed like he wanted to, because the tall man butted in with his own foolish remark, "An' who are _you_ supposed to be _,_ lovely?"

She didn't even bat an eye at him as her voice became sharp, "I was not speaking to you, you pathetic little man. I was speaking to _him_. Mind your business."

"What did you just say to me?" He's instantly bristled at her comment, just as she'd expected. Men didn't seem to be used to the women speaking back it seemed.

Unfortunate for him, she had not had the best of days so far, "Do not play the fool. You know exactly what I said and why I said it."

"You have some nerve-" No, no. She was _far_ from finished.

She turned and looked him straight in the eye with a glower, "I beg to differ, you petulant plebeian. How about you humour me and tell me who _you_ are supposed to be? Not that I care, mind you."

"Big talk, from a lady. If you think 'fer a minute _you_ scare me, little dove, you're sorely mistaken."

She needed to be rid of these miscreants at _some_ point or another, "I've not the time for baseless threats. You test my patience at your peril. I insist you leave my companion be, or-"

The group of men merely laughed at her, the tall one placing a hand on her shoulder as if he were going to 'kindly' escort her back from whence she came, "Now now, little lady... no need to be so feisty! _We_ would appreciate it if you would mind yer own business. This bounty hunter is nothing but a scourge to us decent folk just tryin' to get by. No one will miss him."

That man just _laid his filthy hand_ on her. She ought to kill him for such an ill-judged action. Alas, killing these men would attract unwanted attention. _'But so long as they lived...'_ She roughly shoved his hand off her shoulder and brushed it off on her leggings, " _Do not touch me, again._ " On the contrary, she dared him to do so.

He just gave her a smarmy grin, "What, think yer too good 'fer us humble folk?" The bounty hunter scoffed when he said that, "All high 'n mighty-like?"

She'd grown tired of this little 'game' of his, "I understand my position in this squabble of a hierarchy perfectly well. You are the insects of which I crush underneath my boot without a single thought."

The boy with the bounty hunter's weapons spoke up, "That'd be all high 'n mighty-like, alright!"

They laughed at her again, the tall man adding in his meaningless opinion, "It's like you think yer royalty 'er somethin'!" he leaned towards her for added effect, "You ain't royalty _here_ , little lady."

The metaphorical rope that was holding her back had frayed to the last fiber. She cast a glance at the bounty hunter whom looked just about as finished with this discussion as she was, as he cast a long glance at his weapons in the kid's hands. If _she_ wasn't going to take care of these men, the bounty hunter most certainly would - with fatal consequences. Wonderful.

"I will not warn you again. Ignore me at your own peril."

The tall man touched her chin with his hand ever so briefly as he responded in a teasing tone, "As you wish, _princess._ "

The last thread snapped in an instant. She snatched his forearm in the blink of an eye and yanked him downwards towards her to deliver a brutal knee to his jaw, disorienting him and sparking a conflict between herself, and these so-called 'outlaws'. With that, the cloak was off, and she went to disarm the nearest man - the boy, in fact who was attempting to aim at her with one of the stolen weapons - with a swift, debilitating kick to the side of his thigh. He instantly dropped both of the firearms he was fumbling with to reach reflexively for his leg, of which was no doubt in an immense amount of pain. She paid him no mind as she focused on the remaining three men that approached her, one armed with a knife and the other two making a move for their own weapons. The knifeman she could handle easily. Those firearms could be a problem, however... The knifeman made his move, going for a stab from the side. She stopped the motion by grabbing him by the upper arm so his was stuck braced against hers. He'd overpower her if she let him, she knew this. She twisted herself so she slipped under her own arm to deliver a quick jab to the gut before swiftly turning to deliver a hard boot to his face as he reeled forward. Two gunmen.

She recalled the knife she'd grabbed earlier, and quickly pulled it from the loop that was normally for her kobu jutsu and drove it straight into the closer of the two's thigh. As he attempted to remove it from his leg - that wasn't happening anytime soon - she closed in on the last man who was now aiming his weapon at her. She had to move quickly. She relied on his momentary hesitation. She threw a kick down-under - a literal low blow, even for her liking - and quickly followed it up with a wicked high kick. It was times like this she'd spent much time training to be so nimble. A couple thousand years ago, she'd never be able to throw such a high kick with such grace!

The tall man was back up on his feet and making for her at a very quick pace, his jaw now sporting a cruel bruise that she could swear she could see throbbing from here. He went to throw a punch, but it was sloppy and easily blocked. He was mad, and he was making mistakes. Excellent. A few more of the poor punches from him, and she'd managed to trip him when he lunged with a little too much enthusiasm. "So clumsy." She quipped.

She couldn't help herself.

When Tanya paused to take a glance around at her opposition, she realized very quickly that these men were all bark and no bite. They remained curled up in pain on the ground instead of trying to stand like the tall one did. How _pathetic_. The bounty hunter on the other hand, had barely moved from where he'd been when the skirmish began, instead choosing to be a bystander than get involved. A curious choice, seeing as he seemed so eager to kill the armed men moments before. She took a second to herself and debated over retrieving the blade she'd 'borrowed' from earlier, but she then realized that would involve ripping it out of that man's leg. Which would involve blood. Disgusting. _Mortal_. Blood.

She instead kept her eyes on the wounded men as she addressed the one she'd intervened for, "Are _all_ men in this... _place_ ," she'd caught herself before saying 'realm' instead, "so aggressive?"

"That'd depend on where _you're_ from, lady." He sounded like he was in a considerably better mood than earlier. For now, at least.

"Not from here, that's for certain." She paused to glance down at her feet, of which she now noticed the faintest of dark red splotches that marred the golden material. With that, she wrinkled her nose and let out an _eloquent_ sound of revulsion, "Ugh. _Disgusting._ "

"Don't like gettin' your hands dirty?" He sounded... _amused_ by her ill fortune?

She shot him a scathing glare, "As a matter of fact, I don't. Blood is filthy and vile. It also stains and is next to impossible to remove once it's soaked in."

"I know." Did he think this to be a joke?

"I did not ask for your opinion, you spineless-" She held her tongue in the nick of time. Insulting him wasn't going to get her where she wanted to be right now, "I... apologize. I'm still somewhat worked up that he had the gall to actually _touch_ me."

"Doesn't happen often, huh?" Now _that_ was a purposeful jab.

She became snippy, "Back to the subject at hand, bounty hunter. Now, I have a proposition for you-"

He rolled his eyes at her, an irritable sigh slipping out, "Not _this_ shit again..."

"I'm quite serious. You've proven you're..." She shrugged a shoulder, " _relatively_ capable at your job - which I still presume is killing for money. I could use the assistance of one such as yourself for something I've decided I need a helping hand with." It hurt her ego to ask for help so blatantly, but she _needed_ the help if she had any hope of returning to Outworld before the next century dawned.

He waved a hand dismissively as he went to retrieve his weapons from the ground, just out of reach of the boy who'd taken them in the first place, "Obviously you're _more_ than capable of takin' care of yourself. Don't need me to hold your hand."

She scowled, "I wouldn't let you so much as lay a finger on me, lest your mortality rub off on me."

Brushing off the grip on one of his weapons, he muttered in response, "... was a figure of speech."

A figure of speech? Ah, yes. Earthrealmers had _many_ of those colloquial terms, didn't they? "This realm is just as strange as the stories made it out to be. Interesting."

She was expecting to get a bizarre look for letting 'realms' slip out, but he just holstered his weapon and put a hand on the belt they were attached to, "An' who are you, exactly?"

Against her better judgement, she let out a short laugh, "You think you're worthy of knowing _my_ name, bounty hunter? You didn't even _try_ to defend yourself that time. I must say, I'm disappointed in you."

His rebuttal was swift, "Didn't need to. Courtesy of your unneeded intervention." He paused, as if debating something with himself, before he added on to that comment, "Thanks, either way."

She hummed contently. That was the first reasonable thing this mortal had said to her since they met. Perhaps there was hope after all, "I, am Tanya. Consider yourself enlightened." She smirked. She was in exactly the position she wanted to be in, and went straight for the kill, "So, shall you humour me and consider my offer?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Not gonna lie, this is one of my favourite chapters so far [I'm sure you'll see why]. It's also the longest at over 2500 words!   
> If you prefer longer chapters like this one, please let me know! They usually average at under 2000 words [usually 1700-ish], but I feel it's dragging things out too much... Like, there's 6 chapters [so far] and they all take place within the same day :/  
> To be fair though: a lot has happened and been established in that one day, so I mean ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	4. Chapter 4

Erron Black was left entirely clueless about this woman who'd decided to shoehorn herself into his day. First pestering him, then following him, and then completely changing face and _defending_ him - he didn't want to call it that, but that was an awful lot what it looked like from an outside view. He'd need a good drink when he got the chance. This woman was not wrong in her claims that she wasn't from around here... in fact, he'd never seen _anyone_ quite like that in all his years he'd been in this business. When the outlaw's dumbshit leader was taunting her, he could see why he'd think to call her 'princess'. She certainly _acted_ like she was entitled to something he didn't give a damn about. Though he had to admit, seeing a woman kick their sorry asses was probably the highlight of his day, aside from getting paid. It wasn't something you saw everyday, that's for damn sure.

As the woman - Tanya, she called herself - awaited his answer he still neglected to give, she went to retrieve the cloak she'd tossed off before the kicks were doled out. Kicks... besides that knife she'd pulled from nowhere, she'd taken the outlaws on barehanded, not a single sign of hesitation or fear while she did. That struck him as a sign of experience. You don't hesitate in a fight like that. You hesitate - you get shot, and you probably die. She held up the cloak between her thumb and middle finger and cringed as she gave it a look-over. Yeah. Definitely spoiled at some point in her life. Only the rich acted in such a way, and they were pretty damn few and far between, especially out in these parts. Though he honestly could give less of a shit about her and her so-called plight, he had to admit - albeit begrudgingly - he _was_ a little curious as to where she came from. It wasn't easy to just stumble into a place like they were when they first spoke, it was pretty far off the beaten-trail and she even told him herself that she'd had no idea where to go. That is, if she was even speaking the truth. Could be a gypsy for all he knew. But that wouldn't make sense... the garments she wore looked quality and well-made. Silk, if he had to take a wild guess. He'd seen enough silk on dresses and skirts to know what it looked like. No... she was something else. _'Better stay wary of that one...'_

She'd thrown the cloak back over her shoulders after giving it a vigorous shake to be rid of most of the dirt that had gotten on it, and looked at him expectantly, "Well? Shall you hear what I have to say this time? Or will you insist on walking away again?"

There was that haughty attitude again. He found himself scowling of his own accord as he responded, "Fine. But I better be gettin' paid for this."

She gave him an incredulous look, as if he'd grown a second head, " _Pay you_? I just went to the trouble of doing _your_ dirty work. Consider this _you_ paying _me_ in return, bounty hunter."

Sounded about as stingy as the man he'd just killed for was. _'Keep it clean. No witnesses, no unnecessary deaths. You know how it should be done.'_ Sure he did, but the man insisted on repeating everything anyway, as if he were new to this. What a pain in the ass, "Look, lady. I don't know what more you want from me-"

She wasn't having any of that, oh no, "I need _help._ I haven't the faintest idea where to begin my search because I know nothing of this... _place_. But that's where _you_ come in."

She _must_ be joking, "So let me get this straight. You need to find something... but you don't know what that is or where it could be?"

She waved her hand dismissively, "I know it sounds complicated, yes. I- well..." She hesitated. That woman had never hesitated before in her life, from how frustrated she seemed about it, "It's hard to explain. I need time to think of how to word it so you'll understand."

A jab at his intelligence. She _did_ like to use big words to make other people feel inferior, it seemed. What in the world was he getting himself into? "As agonizing as I'm sure that is for you, I won't help unless I get paid." He had his rules, and he wasn't budging from that for no one.

The woman gave a long stare at the men who were now proceeding to get back up after their beat-down, her expression unreadable as usual. The cowards could've easily attempted to attack them again, though all it took was one look at him and the weapons he was back in possession of for them to reconsider and pick 'living' over 'dying'. If he was the casual conversationalist some associates of his were, it'd be quite the tale to tell over a drink or two. Several minutes had passed until he decided that she wasn't going to answer him at all, "Listen lady, I don't work for free. You want to take up my time for you? I need payment to make it worth my while."

"Regrettably, I do not even know what is used as currency here." She smiled wryly.

Ah. That explained the hesitation, "Tough luck then." He turned to leave yet again before adding, "Feel free to find me once you have some money to show for it, though." With that he tipped his hat and made to leave.

She wasn't having any of it though, "Bounty hunter, you _owe_ me!"

He didn't owe her _nothing_. He chose to ignore her, but she persisted, "Would gold make up for it? Is that what you want?"

_Gold?_ Gold was worth a pretty penny nowadays, wasn't it? He stopped and turned towards her, "Go on."

She held her arm out to reveal the several metal bands coiled around her forearm. Yeah, that _looked_ like gold alright. She didn't seem happy about it though, "If I have your word you'll help me, I'll give you these to do with as you please. This is all I have to offer, however."

He thought about it for a moment. This woman seemed proud and selfish... this was meant to be interpreted as a sign of her 'goodwill'. But did he actually want to put up with her for however long it took? Sure the money from the right buyer would make the amount of _time_ worth it. But this woman was too full of herself, yet he didn't want to double-cross her either, though the thought crossed his mind.

It was _gold_ after all.

Just as she began to lower her arm when she assumed she was going to be declined, he intervened, "It'll do."

As she smirked and removed the elaborate armband to give to him, he instantly got a bad feeling in his gut.

He was going to regret this, he was almost certain of it.

He went to take the valuable from her before she suddenly pulled it back to throw in one last comment, "Do not misunderstand me. This does _not_ make us friends, bounty hunter. I am doing this to get back to my own realm. Nothing more, nothing less."

_Friends._ How stupid did she think he was? "Have it your way."

He insisted he get his payment in 'actual' currency before actually helping her with... whatever it was she wanted help with. He honestly didn't care, now that he was going to be compensated for it. He brought the valuable, winding band of metal to a smith in the town. Though it was a pretty seedy place, the man was not enough of an idiot to try anything funny. Most knew who he was in these parts. He wasn't concerned.

The woman seemed to blanch when the gold was getting melted down - Black had insisted he do so to make sure it wasn't a fake. If it had _really_ meant that much to her, she shouldn't have offered it to him. Simple as that.

After some time of processing, he finally received his payment - a rather hefty bag of gold coins. His favourite way of getting paid. The smithy had taken some of the value and kept it for himself, to be expected for his services. It was only after they'd left did he realize he'd actually been stung too harshly for it. Looks like he'd be paying him another visit when he was done.

When he'd made a sudden turn towards the saloon, Tanya protested - and he internally cringed for he knew that's what she'd do, "Where do you suppose we're going?"

This woman asked too many questions, "We're not doin' anythin' substantial this late in the day. _I'm_ gettin' a drink before restin' up for the night."

Obviously that wasn't what she wanted to hear, "I did not pay you to sit around and _drink_ the night away, bounty hunter."

"Look lady, I don't know 'bout you, but I don't exactly feel like runnin' out there in the middle of the night beggin' to be robbed or shot. Or worse. Bandits and redskins move at night."

"I didn't think you were afraid of such things."

He laughed - short and bitter like a bark, "Not so much 'afraid' as 'I'd rather not find my head on a spear in the mornin'. It's just common knowledge."

Her face scrunched up, "Well _I_ would much rather not spend another moment in this place, if I can help it."

Yep. There was the regret creeping up on him.

"Alright, _princess_ , " This earned him a scathing glare, "What would you suggest we do then?"

"Compromise."

He rolled his eyes. He wasn't exactly a man of faith, but he wished God would just strike him down right now if he could, "Fine. If we move now, we can make it to the next town before dark. Only a couple miles from here... it'll be more to your liking."

"I agree with this plan." She gave him a haughty look, "Shall we?"

"Ladies first."

The way she turned on her heel and began walking away was by far the most conceited movement he'd witnessed.

This is exactly why he never listened to those unwritten rules about minding one's language or behaviour towards women. They were just going to be nasty either way. Yet here he was, taking _orders_ from one. He must be going soft. That, or he was going to lose his mind.

The latter seemed _very_ likely.

 


	5. Chapter 5

The bounty hunter banged a fist on the door of the rather small building - at least compared to others in this place - that was located down an obscure side street. He only mentioned how it was home to someone who owed him many a favour, and that it was better than staying in some tavern for the night. It sounded good at the time, but now she was starting to have doubts.

"Are you certain that man is even here?"

No reply. _'I'll take that as a 'no' then.'_

This place _was_ more to her liking than the first settlement they'd been in with the 'seedy' people - that was the word he used to describe it - and it seemed befitting of it. More citizens seemed ignorant and going about their business in their narrow little lives they lived. When she was more cautious in the other place, this one she could finally relax a little - a term she used loosely, of course. The paths and buildings actually seemed like they were maintained on a regular basis. Especially the windows. She recalled the ones from earlier in the day, that were foggy and hardly functional as 'windows'. These were a huge improvement, and she was most content with that.

Her aimless thoughts were abruptly interrupted when the door to this shack finally opened after a muffled exclamation from behind it. The man in question was shorter than both the mercenary and she, but seemed like he was weathered from similar pursuits. Or so she assumed. Elder Gods only knew what people could possibly get up to in this realm. The hired gun looked like the man in front of him was pestering him, and wanted nothing to do with the slap on the shoulder he'd received. She wouldn't be impressed if someone slapped her on the shoulder either. Then the man turned and caught her out the corner of his eye, and she cringed on the inside. He was friendly enough, yes, but seemed a little... odd? He extended a hand as if she were meant to shake it or... whatever mortals did with it. The man had expected her to take it out of habit, for when her lip started to curl up reflexively into a sneer, he quickly retracted it and apologized, "Ah, uh... sorry 'bout that. Used to greetin'... _different_ folk."

She didn't know why, but she felt slightly offended by that comment.

The bounty hunter interrupted him, "I'm callin' in a favour." He jerked his head in her direction, "She's picky. Doesn't want to stay in a dingy establishment."

The man raised his brows, "Ah, a gal with rich taste! Not to worry, love. 'm sure this'll suffice." He saw how her eyes flickered over to silently judge the exterior, "Not much on th' outside, I admit. But 'tis a better hostel for you folk than that there saloon over yonder is." He grimaced at that.

A hostel? That wasn't reassuring to her in the slightest. Was it meant to be?

The bounty hunter noticed her reluctance after the man went into the building to usher them in, "He's got a point."

"It's a _hostel_."

"So?"

"So?!" She suddenly became petulant, "Hostels are for the poor or the sick! How is that any more hospitable than an inn?"

It was his turn for his face to scrunch up - what she could see of it, that is, "It's only open to those who know him. Consider it private."

"Consider _otherwise_. I do not trust this man."

He shook his head and made his way inside, a bitter Tanya following suit.

She wasn't expecting much, but at least it was pleasing to the eye on the inside than that mess of an exterior was. There seemed to be naught a single inch of the wall left uncovered by paintings or curtains, shelves and trinkets. It was, she had to admit, a bit on the tacky side, but it was rather cozy for what it was. There was a rather lovely carpet on the floor, she noted. It looked like nothing that was from such a place as this, yet it was not out of place. How interesting.

Her attention was pulled away when the man who owned this establishment paused mid-conversation with the bounty hunter to mention something, "Feel free to have one o' 'em sourdough biscuits if yah'd like. Marian'd made 'em this mornin'."

She glanced over to where he'd motioned and saw a plain wooden bowl filled with several small, lumpy... biscuits? Yes, that's what he'd called them. They didn't seem all that appetizing, but she hadn't eaten since before she'd even come here early in the day. She sat down on a settee next to the table and listened in on the conversation he picked back up, all the while timidly taking a small bite of the biscuit.

They spoke in lowered voices, but not low enough she couldn't hear it in its entirety, "You told me you was comin' here next week aftah you was done in Oxbrook-"

"I was. Wasn't expectin' to pick up someone along the way."

"Who is that anyway? Didn't think you were into-"

"I'm not."

"Then why's she here? Yer not makin' a lick of sense, Black."

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Is it _that_ strange?"

"It's _that_ strange."

She decided to butt in after she'd finished the biscuit and reached for another, "Do you always speak of others when they are present in the same general vicinity? Or is this a 'local' habit?"

The shorter man glanced between the mercenary and herself before replying like a bumbling fool, "Uh... neither?"

She scoffed and caught sight of a peculiar looking fruit next to the bowl the sourdough was in, "What is that?"

"That... would be an apple, miss."

"Is it edible?"

"Ye-"

"Good." With that, she leaned over and snatched it off the table.

Both men gave her bewildered looks - the mercenary's being considerably toned down. He scoffed, "If you were hungry, you shoulda said somethin' a while ago."

She ignored him for a moment, knowing better than to speak with food in her mouth. She sighed, "I was not _hungry_ until I was offered something remotely edible."

The man turned back to continue the previous conversation yet again, "Is she a rich folk?"

"Not sure."

"What _do_ you know?"

"She _acts_ rich."

The shorter man shook his head, "You ain't helpin' any."

"You _could_ help by gettin' me a drink. That'd be a good start."

He sighed and took a step back, addressing both persons, "Might as well serve suppah then, yeah?"

Tanya did not reply, and the mercenary gave an apathetic shrug.

"Right. Right..." With that, the shorter man left the two in an awkward silence.

Tanya gave him a once-over before waving a hand dismissively, "Is that man always so cumbersome to speak with?"

He sat himself roughly on a plain chair off to the side of the room - she now figured it was a parlour of sorts - and casually began polishing one of his firearms with the edge of his cloak, "Never used to be that way. Once he changed jobs, then he started talkin' all funny-like."

"It's almost like he's nervous." She have a thoughtful expression for a moment, "Do I seem all that intimidating to you, bounty hunter?"

She didn't look up from his work, "No."

"You don't care, do you?"

"Not really." She smirked.

She then let herself think back to the matter at hand - how easy it was to be distracted in such an unfamiliar place. She had absolutely no idea where to begin this search for... whatever it was she was looking for. She was hoping they'd have been on their way, in which she was going to ask him questions on the surrounding area. Alas, that plan had crumbled when he'd mentioned it was too dangerous to be out in the middle of nowhere at night. A true point, she knew that, but regardless it seemed like a poor reason. Was there really so many hostile things in this place that would warrant such caution? He'd mentioned 'redskins' and 'spears'... she could only assume they were some tribe or something of the like, Outworld had many of those, she knew. Were they actually a threat? Were they cannibals like the Tarkatans could be? Or perhaps they were misunderstood? So many questions she wanted answers for, and a bounty hunter that wasn't nearly as talkative as she was to answer them.

Perhaps she should ask the other man? No... he was wary of her. He didn't like her presence here, and she could only imagine why. Ranging from an over-protective wife to him simply not expecting it, there was many a reason it could be.

She returned her gaze to the bounty hunter, who was now no longer polishing the end of the weapon, and had instead pulled something from a pocket on his side and was giving it a hard stare. She decided to inquire about it, "What are you doing?"

He quickly looked up at her with narrowed eyes as he pocketed the object again when he noticed her trying to see what it was, "None o' your business."

"Keepsake? Don't mortal men keep such trivial things?"

He 'tch'ed, "Hardly. That's a woman thing."

"Oh? Where I come from, you find many a man carrying something sentimental on his person." She didn't mention how she knew this. He probably knew.

"You must come from another world then, lady." Or he could let that pass right over his head. That worked too.

The irony of this statement was not lost on her, "You have no idea."

He looked at her with an unreadable expression for a moment before he holstered the firearm and proceeded to repeat the polishing process on the other. She took that as a sign he no longer wanted to talk about that particular thing.

She settled on something else instead, "I don't like that man."

He grunted in response, "Me neither."

"Then why work with him?"

"Pays well." He had a point, she supposed.

The shorter man quickly peeked his head around the corner of the doorway, "By the way, Ham's gonna be here soon too."

The bounty hunter cocked a brow at this statement, "Jacobs? What for?"

"Didn't say. Guess we'll be-a findin' out." He paused as he glanced over at Tanya, "Everythin' high 'n dandy, miss?"

She didn't understand what that meant, so she took a page from the bounty hunter's book and offered a shrug. This was satisfactory enough, and with a shake of his head, the man returned to whatever he was doing.

She instead spoke again to the other man in the room, "Who is this... 'Ham'... we'll be expecting a visit from?"

He exhaled, though it sounded bemused rather than irritable, "Hamilton _._ He's a friend 'o' Donnigan's."

"That's it?"

"Not much else to say."

She leaned back in her seat and stared up at the ceiling. Maybe this 'Hamilton' person would be more talkative.

Not even ten minutes later, someone else had knocked on the door for what seemed like ages. Tanya had half a mind to just go and open it, but thought better of it. She still didn't want to cause much need for attention if she didn't have to. The man who'd been ushered to the parlor room by the shorter man - Donnigan was it? - seemed rather out of place. He was also not as tall as the mercenary, but he was about as tall as she was. He was very well-kept and tidy looking... he almost reminded her of the ambassadors she'd see in court back when she herself was still under tutelage by her father there. Except this man had one marring flaw on his rather dashing face - a wicked scar ran from his right cheekbone and left a jagged mark down to the underneath of his chin past his lips. _'Must've gotten into a scuffle, at some point. Looks to be a knife wound.'_ He glanced around the parlour and picked out the mercenary first, "Ah, Black. How'd that job 'o yours go?"

He leaned his arm on his leg and looked up at him from his seat, "I got paid."

"Right, right." He rolled his eyes when he turned his face to the side. Obviously he didn't seem to have a particularly high opinion of the bounty hunter. Interesting.

The man - Jacobs - now noticed Tanya sitting off to the side from him, "And whom might you be, miss?"

She cracked her knuckles idly, "None of your business."

He caught the motion of her hands for a moment before he looked... disappointed, almost? "Ah, I... see." He wisely decided to change the subject, "What brings you here? I was told only one other was gonna be here."

She glanced at her fingernails, "My business is my own, although I'm here because of the bounty hunter."

"Bounty hun... oh, right. Black, of course."

She smirked like she knew something he didn't - which she most certainly did, "You seem tense."

"Forgive me, but I'm... not sure how much I should say around you."

This made her look at him directly, "Oh?"

Fortunately for the man, the bounty hunter intervened, "Relax, Jacobs. She's fine."

_Fine?_ They were speaking as if she was an object, and not a person. It was rather odd.

Jacobs sighed, "Oh, good. That's good, yes." With that, he sat down across the room from both parties. He'd caught her staring, however, "Is there... something wrong?"

"Where's that scar from? I'm curious."

He looked away, as if ashamed to recall the reason, "Ah, this? Well, uh... let's just say a lady friend of mine was not quite who she said she was, and leave it at that."

Oh, so it was a scuffle with a woman? Her curiosity had not been sated, "But now I'm very curious." She decided to elaborate on her own thought, "It's a knife wound, yes? From the looks of it, it was not a clean skirmish." The man was becoming more visibly nervous by the second, "A struggle, perhaps? But was it _her_ with the blade? Or was it you?"

The bounty hunter had stopped what he was doing and had been watching the exchange for a short time now. He seemed curious where this would go. Truthfully, Tanya was curious where it would go as well.

The man was biting his lip now, fidgeting like a madman, "Well, uh... She was- I mean. I..."

She scoffed. They both knew she had him in a corner. Excuses were pointless, "Whatever the cause, I'm sure it was _worth_ it, yes?"

Yes, that was it. She'd very quickly picked up that it was currency that made this world go around, even more so than the likes of Outworld's most notorious marketplaces. The man's vague reasoning for the scar wasn't incorrect... it just wasn't honest. The best way to lie was to use most of the truth. This man left out too many details to make it convincing, and had thus failed her little test. She sighed, "If you simply do not wish to say what happened because I myself am a woman, than simply say so you fool! I myself have killed many a man and am not ashamed to admit so."

That comment hadn't comforted him in the slightest, she realized. _Whoops._

Fortunately at that time, the shorter man had returned yet again, "Suppah's out, if ya want it now. Got veal tonight - yer favourite, Ham."

The man let out a nervous chuckle as he stood up and was, unsurprisingly, the first to leave the room.

The bounty hunter still had something to say to her however, "You read 'em like an open book."

Tanya stood up and looked at him over her shoulder with a coy smile, "It's not all that difficult, really. But the compliment's appreciated nonetheless."

She did not let him finish before following the short man to the room where this 'suppah' would be held.

She _presumed_ this meant 'dinner'.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to apologize for such a delayed post with no explanation! Lately I haven't been very confident in these next couple chapters [this included], but coming back to read them after a while, I've decided they're not so bad after all! I just stress out too much OTL Lately I've been thinking about a lot of important stuff, so honestly I have other things I'm more worried about than this fic, so it kind of helps? it's weird.
> 
> Also wanted to say thank you so much for the reviews I've received in the meantime! They really help with the whole 'confidence' thing I'm lacking :D
> 
> Now, there probably will be a span of time in between Chapter 6 and 7 most likely, since now I actually have to piece together my plot fragments, whoops. Not to mention I've been so caught up in non-Mortal Kombat related things [curse you, Overwatch]. But yeah, that's just a heads-up so no one's left hanging like last time!
> 
> Hope you didn't mind the couple of new characters introduced here! :)  
> It's still going to be very Tanya/Erron-centric [mostly Tanya though, she's easier to write, whoops], but I wanted to throw in some 'support', you know?


	6. Chapter 6

Tanya was seated at one end of the table, with the mercenary on her left, the scarred man on the right, and the short one in the middle. She didn't say a word or make a move while she sat, for she was awaiting the results of the short squabble in front of her.

"Black, ya dog! Hats _off_ at the table, 'specially in front of a lady." That last part he'd lowered his voice somewhat.

"Just the hat? Not the guns or the poncho?"

The man bristled, "There is nothing wrong with having _manners_ at some point in the day."

During this time, Tanya had casually propped her feet up on the table. Purely to spite the scarred one, of course. No one took notice at first, "You can take yer manners and shove 'em where the sun don't shine."

This made the man aghast at his accusation, " _I beg your pardon_?"

The shorter man was watching from the sidelines, looking uncomfortable as usual. She decided to push herself into the conversation with a casual remark, "Is this the average home in a place like this? It's..." She didn't want to say it, but a compliment was supposedly the right thing to say, "cozy?"

The trio averted their eyes to her, the scarred man looking at her disapprovingly as he noticed her boots on the table, and the mercenary gave him a cocky look - probably because she was taking his side in this discussion. The scarred man cleared his throat after a long silence, "Right... still. Hat _off_. It's rude."

The mercenary grumbled at him before carefully taking the hat off his head and placing it on the empty chair next to him. In this light it was hard to tell what colour his rather scraggly hair was - she was undecided between brown or blonde. He seemed awfully uncomfortable, and she realized very quickly that he'd also have to take the false face off as well. She hadn't even considered there was anything _under_ that crude mask up until just now. She watched - staring unashamedly, rather - and enjoyed every moment of his discomfort. With a swift movement, the mask was placed inside his hat, and she could now see the full extend of the permanent scowl he seemed to wear. It really only solidified what she'd knew all along: he was as crotchety and frank as an old man. He'd certainly seemed like he'd seen his fair share of conflict, and he most certainly didn't seem to mind letting himself get all scruffy like that. She had to admit though, that it was rather befitting of him. Not everyone is made for a rich lifestyle. His face was visibly lighter than the rest of the skin he showed, most likely from the combination of that ridiculous hat and mask - Why _did_ he wear the mask anyway? It didn't seem comfortable in the slightest, especially in such dreary weather like this. ' _Perhaps he prefers to remain anonymous, seeing as he's a murderer?'_

That thought was harsh but she did not dwell on it, for the others had finally stopped bickering long enough to acknowledge the food in front of them. It was still warm, after all this time? How odd. She glanced down at her own serving that was noticeably smaller than the others. The meat seemed fine enough - it looked like meat - but what in the _world_ was this... mush? She'd be a liar if she said it looked not unlike like someone's upheaval, and that alone made her stomach turn, not aided any by the hunger that'd crept up. It just made it feel oh-so _wrong_. She looked around the table to see no one else complaining about it. The bounty hunter didn't seem very interested in his food, but he was preoccupied with his drink more than anything. The other two men were engaged in a quiet conversation with one another to break the awkward atmosphere - it didn't help her any, however. Ugh, was she _really_ expected to eat this... whatever it was? She'd probably eaten worse when she absolutely had to when she'd been on her own in Outworld, but at least she actually knew what those things _were_.

The bounty hunter made eye contact with her as he set his bottle down. The sharp odor in the air told her it was an alcohol of some sort... she never did like the stuff. He seemed like he was going to make a comment before he was addressed by the short man, "Hear that? Makin' quarry out over by Dry Cross... bah! Ain't that place dead?"

The scarred man added, "I heard they may have struck it rich. They've been movin' a lot of blasting powder out that way by train."

"Wouldn't surprise me." He didn't sound interested.

Neither was she, but she had little else to think about at the time, other than giving her serving a nasty look. The short man continued, "By train? Seems like a bad idea, if you ask me. What about them redskins? Ain't they an issue?"

The scarred man took a sip from his own beverage, "Not that I've heard. Weren't they driven out East-a-ways a while ago?"

"Couldn't say. No one tells me these things, ya know. Figured you'd know though, considerin' your property out that-a-ways."

She knew paying attention to details - even the most dull ones - could prove beneficial, but she was quickly growing bored. She instead decided to ignore the mushy 'food' altogether and simply eat what she knew was actually edible. It was half-cold. How unfortunate.

The scarred man looked at her before finally noticing she'd barely touched her dish, "You look miserable, miss. No appetite?"

She gave him a look. He should know the answer to his own ridiculous question, surely, "...You could say that, yes."

He disapproved of the way she stabbed the cutlery into the meat without actually eating it. Odd behaviour from her, since she'd never played with her food much as a child, "Ah. Well, if there's anything we can do to..." He trailed off, not feeling the need to finish her sentence.

She heaved a sigh and sat back in her seat. She was just going to be bold and attempt to get them to speak of more interesting things, "What is some interesting news, around this place?"

There was a long pause before the short man cut into it, "What, uh... what do yeh mean?"

"You know what I mean, you simple little man!" She was becoming most irritable, "News, anything interesting... _unusual_ , perhaps? I don't care. Talk business or something."

He just blinked at her, while the scarred man seemed to feel sorry for him. The bounty hunter still seemed to not care much as he watched from behind his bottle.

"Or... don't." This was pointless.

She was just about to stand up in a huff before the scarred man interjected, "Well, there's rumours that the indians are hangin' around down South a ways. Same ones that wrecked that caravan some time ago, I imagine."

The short man recovered enough to respond to his companion, "Down South? You sure 'bout that? Those were the ones hangin' 'round them caves, weren't they?

The bounty hunter added his input, "Thought they got pushed out by the war a while back?"

"Nah, I heard they're still hangin' around. Same area them marauders were in... what were they callin' themselves?"

The short man's response was instant, "'Grizzly Bloods', I thought. Somethin' tacky like that."

"Why would they hang around a place that's haunted like that, anyway?"

At this, Tanya perked up. Haunted? That meant a spirit of some kind... and where they existed, there was usually other supernatural sources as well. She leaned forward, "What's haunted? These caves you spoke of?"

"Yeah. Heard there was a lot 'o them indians sacrificin' people or somethin'."

"Or 'something'?." She needed to know more.

The scarred man piped in, "No one's come back from there without never wantin' to go back. Must say somethin' about what's there." He turned to the other man, "Didn't you say somethin' about getting Black to go look into it?"

The short man had been shaking his head in a 'don't continue' sort of manner before he'd even finished his sentence. The bounty hunter gave him a leer, "You never mentioned that."

"I- uh... admittedly wasn't going to... _tell_ you right off the bat..." He was sweating, the cool night betraying his fear.

"Not _this_ shit again. You _know_ I hate it when you conveniently leave out details."

This man was attempting to grasp at strings that were long gone from his grip, "I-I-I was going to tell you! I just didn't want to, uh, bring it up right up front?"

The bounty hunter narrowed his eyes dangerously, "I _always_ expect details upfront, _Donnigan_."

Not caring about this minor squabble they were in the midst of, she cut in, "Never come back, you say?" She thought about it for a moment. It was a better lead than no lead at all, she figured, "Bounty hunter! I say we go and do this little man's dirty work of our own accord."

The short man seemed like he was going to faint, "Y-you what?"

The bounty hunter was instantly turning that wicked glare upon her, " _What_?"

"Did you forget that your services are mine to direct now? You shall come with me to this place - take me there, since I know not where 'down south' is in this place - and we shall look into this matter."

" _Bullshit_ we are-"

She snapped back at him, "We _are_ going there, and you _will_ be helping me."

The bounty hunter slammed a hand on the table, " _You_ hired _me_. _I_ say where the hell we go."

The other two men were clearly startled by the hostility between herself and the mercenary. She expected a simple rebuttal, not him attempting to push the scale in his favour!

The scarred man was the wiser of the four voices in the room as her looked between the pair, "Perhaps... you two should figure this out in the mornin'? It's been a long day, after all..."

The bounty hunter didn't need more reason to get away from her than that, and quickly snatched his belongings from the chair and stormed away. He probably saw it as him making the better decision to leave than continue an argument, but Tanya saw it merely as him running away from the inevitable.

The small room she'd been told was hers for the night was about as tacky as the rest of the place had been, from what she'd seen. It was completely dark now, save for the odd flicker of a light in the distance out the window - how nice it had such a commodity unlike the parlour from earlier. She'd seen the candlestick in here when she'd walked in, but had mentioned to the scarred man who was the only one who even wanted to be near her right now to leave it out. She lay in the darkness for a long, long time. Completely alone, save for the odd thought that'd cross her mind before she wished it away. She'd never gotten used to this, resting in another's homestead. She'd done so a few times in the past, but she always found herself unable to drift off into a proper sleep at all. It was easier to sleep in a _tree_ , for crying out loud! How far she had fallen from the fanciful life of luxury that was hers a few thousand years ago...

This instance was different, however. She knew there was many reasons that were keeping her up, but the one she least expected to bother her the most was the heavy air. Earthrealm was devoid of magic in most instances, she definitely saw what they meant by that now. But she'd never realized how natural and ordinary it was for her - to be in-tune with her own arcane abilities and senses - until it was suddenly _not_ there. She'd actually attempted to use her powers to light that candle she'd seen, but it proved futile. Nothing happened when it should have. It felt wrong and left her constantly uncomfortable and... _uneasy._ She didn't want to admit it, but she felt very 'naked' in this world. She did not have her weapons or her magic. She was relying purely upon her build and strength - she was never the strongest fighter, she knew that - to defend herself with. Even her words weren't of use here, since she didn't understand how people interacted or spoke besides the few she's been around.

She scoffed at herself as an unwanted thought crossed her mind: ' _The bounty hunter is the only tether you have in this place.'_

_Bah!_ The man was a means to an end - a thing to be manipulated.

But was that thought _wrong_? The only tether in _this_ place didn't seem like an incorrect metaphor. But that mercenary was insufferable, just like the world he came from was. If that didn't prove that others are molded by the foundations on which they're brought up upon, she wasn't sure what would. Besides, she only put up with the obnoxious miscreant for one reason: to get back to Outworld. In a sense, that _did_ mean she was relying on him, didn't it?

She shifted uncomfortably on her back and she bored holes into the ceiling with her eyes, "I _do not_ reply upon others for support. Even in a place like this."

Tanya wasn't quite sure why she'd said that out loud. Then again, Tanya wasn't quite sure of much else in this place anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick reminder that there will most likely be a noticeable span of time in-between this chapter and the next one! I'm working out some extra details atm with the plot and refreshing my memory (thank you, Call of Juarez: Gunslinger for bringing me back to the Old West), so hopefully I'll get working on Chapter 8+ soon!  
> Chap. 7's done already, but I don't want to post it right away in case I change some things leading into Chapter 8.
> 
> Once again: I appreciate the reviews so, so much! Thank you! :D I always read them and they really make my day. The only reason I don't directly respond to them is so I don't take up too much space (I'm a rambler). I've been considering responding via PM, but I'm unsure if that's a good idea. Thoughts are appreciated!
> 
> Also one more thing - I got thinking earlier that Erron might not have had that leather mask he's got in MKX back in this era (he might've just had the bandanna like in his Alt. Outfit), so for the sake of preventing some weird continuity error or something, consider this one he's got some early version of it OTL


	7. Chapter 7

Daylight was just breaking outside when Tanya had decided she'd had enough. She'd been lying around for _hours_ all night without a wink of sleep to show for it, and she simply could not bear to remain there any longer. She wanted fresh air... as fresh as this place had, anyway. She quietly made her way out of the room - not without tidying it up before she left - and glanced down the hallway. There was a _lot_ of doors here, but was it not typically the one that looked slightly different that led to the outside? She rounded a corner at the end and went down the stairs gingerly before being greeted to the sight of the door she was looking for. She had just put a hand on the handle when someone emerged from a room down the hall next to the staircase. It was the scarred man. He had stayed here as well?

_'It's a hostel... It's only open to those who know him. Consider it private.'_ The bounty hunter's words echoed in her head.

That was right, wasn't it? So this was a safe haven for mutual associates, it seemed.

The man did a double-take as he looked in her direction, "Oh, it's uh... it's _you_."

She was hoping to enjoy the silence and avoid other people for a few moments more, but that wasn't happening now, "Yes, it's me _._ _You_ are the scarred one."

He grimaced as he quickly passed a hand over his scar, "That I am." He promptly decided to change the topic, "What in the world are you doing up so early?"

"I couldn't sleep." She was sure it was probably very obvious by her demeanour right now.

"Not used to being in another home, I take it?"

Perhaps this man wasn't as stupid as he initially seemed, "Yes, actually. It doesn't help that this home is very... strange... in comparison to what I'm used to."

"Oh? So you _are_ an outsider, then."

'Outsider' struck her as too harsh of a term, but it was not incorrect, "Indeed I am. Who told you that?"

He glanced around before answering, "Donnigan did. Black refused to say anything after what happened last night."

She huffed, "T'was not my fault he insisted on causing a scene."

"You didn't help any, though." He earned a piercing glare for that remark.

"He should know it's unprofessional to get into such senseless arguments."

The man offered a casual shrug, "That's how he is. Not much changin' that, I'm afraid."

There was a bout of silence between the two before the scarred man continued, "Might I ask we take this conversation outside? I'd... rather not risk him overhearing such things."

Ah, so he _wanted_ to talk about Black. Though she was still upset with him from the night before, she figured it was probably best to find out as much about him as she could before leaving later. If they still were, anyway, "Of course, I was just on my way outside before you stopped me."

She followed him around to a small open area around the corner and out of the way from prying eyes by a high fence on the left side. There was some seats outside, but neither she or the scarred man seemed particularly inclined to sit on them. The weather was still stuffy and hot even at this hour of the morning, but at least the sun wasn't high above yet. Without her cloak on - she'd had it slung over her arm since she didn't want to leave it behind - it was much more refreshing than it may have been. The scarred man had insisted on coming out here to continue his discussion, but he seemed completely content to just watch her instead. It made her uncomfortable. There was nothing smarmy or utterly jarring about him, besides the fact he gave a pathetic attempt at lying about his scar the night before, but she was still unsure about him... and that was reason enough for her to be uneasy around him. She collected herself and decided to get an answer to the glaring question at hand, "So what _did_ you do to receive such a scar?"

He blinked as he snapped out of it, "Ah. Well, you certainly seem like you've already deduced the reason."

"I have an idea..." She was also fairly confident in it as well, "But hearing it right from the source is always reassuring."

"True. It's not some grand story though, I'll say that right now." This man was particularly easy to schmooze. _'Typical upper-class.'_

" _Do_ go on."

"Well..." He was hesitant, even out here, "Why don't you indulge me in your theory first?"

She shook her head, "You're stalling. Or... perhaps seeking some form of reassurance perhaps?" He flashed her a wry smile before she continued, "Well, I know it was a woman who did it, for sure. Lover of yours?"

It was his turn to shake his head, "More than that. Thought she was the one, to be entirely honest."

She had to physically hold back her laugh by crossing an arm over her chest and taking on an 'interested' gesture, "Obviously she was not."

"Yes... right." He diverted his eyes in favour of the ground.

"There was a quarrel." This caught his attention again, "But... was it she who started it? Or you?"

His mouth tensed for a moment, "Ah. You see, I sit on a fortune established through lucrative real estate, so there's many who want some of that fortune for themselves. Turns out Helen was one of those. I discovered her plan before she executed it, but she still got a good hit in."

"So it would seem. But you would've had to confront her about it in the first place..." She went with her gut instinct, " _You_ attacked _her_ , didn't you?"

To her genuine surprise, he wasn't attempting to hide it anymore. Instead, he sighed as if it was a mere bother than a murder, "I was... angry, yes. I didn't _have_ to kill her, but I did. I consider it protectin' my business."

"Do that often?" She didn't hide her smug satisfaction.

"How do you think I know Black? Hired 'im on a few occasions to get rid of the competition 'round here. Good man. So long as he's paid, he doesn't ask many questions... as it should be."

Now was her chance, "Humour me. Tell me about the bounty hunter."

"Not much to tell, really." He seemed to be very relaxed around her with this conversation now, "Came up here a couple years ago from Iowa or somewhere up north like that, but I don't know where he's actually from. Maybe Texas or Missouri, if I had to guess... Doesn't talk 'bout it. He's an incredible marksman though. Fastest draw I've ever seen on a man. Reliable, too."

"I've seen his skill with his weapons. It _is_ quite remarkable." She meant that, of course. Why else would she have put the time and energy into getting his help?

"I'd say. Mind you he's... a little hard to get along with. Then again, does one really need to get along with a gun-for-hire?"

"I suppose not."

"Speaking of which..." There was a pause as his face scrunched up in thought before attempting a pass at seeming nonchalant, "You and Black... what's going on there?"

"I beg your pardon?" She had a feeling...

"Are you two... an item?" Yes... this man was a _fool_.

"I only _hired_ him to assist me with something. We are not an 'item', as it were." She made certain to emphasize that point. To even think of such a thing!

"Oh. Well, that's good." He quickly changed his attitude, "I-I mean, you _are_ rather beautiful, so I mean-"

"Do not get your hopes up, little man. I do not stoop so low as to act as 'consort' to men I hardly know." This man needed to stop talking without thinking.

He quickly attempted to backtrack, "I wasn't intending to come across that way! My sincerest apologies." She didn't respond besides a single nod, so he continued, "It's just that... you two bicker an awful lot like you were betrothed. It's rather funny, I must admit."

She snorted, "Do those whom are betrothed normally have such infuriating partners in these parts?"

He inclined his head, "Don't have much choice, do they? I personally don't see why they don't just make the best of it..." He waved a hand dismissively, "'Do what you must', an' all that."

"I understand completely." He would never understand how honest that statement was, coming from her.

"You're quite the woman, you know that?" Again, with the bizarre flattery. What a peculiar man. What did he hope to get out of this? Especially after she'd turned him down once already.

"I do." A little self-confidence never hurt, did it?

The conversation was cut short by the slamming of a door and an approaching figure. She knew who it was before he even rounded the corner.

"About time, bounty hunter."

The man stopped a short distance away and jerked his head, "We're leavin'."

"Already? At this hour?" The scarred man sounded disappointed. How pitiful.

He was ignored, "Get what you need an' get ready. We leave right after yer done."

She sighed. She'd forgotten how much she disliked being rushed until now, "Very well." She turned to her conversational companion, "We'll have to continue this discussion another time."

"Yes, of course. I'd love to." What a miserable love life this man must have.

The bounty hunter was unimpressed as he looked between the two with what she could imagine was a disgusted sneer, "Ugh. Save it for another time, Jacobs. We've got a schedule to keep." She silently thanked him for his intervention. Things were awkward enough as it was.

"Right, of course. I have places to be as well. Good day, miss..." He trailed off. She'd never given him her name, and she had no intentions of doing so.

She just gave him a polite nod as the man made his leave. The bounty hunter was most impatient as he fidgeted with his hands on the holsters for his weapons, "C'mon, Tanya. Don't got all mornin'."

The bounty hunter was in quite the hurry for a man who seemed so crotchety the night before. She didn't understand how he could've slept at all! She'd grabbed what she needed as quickly as she could - making sure to steal one of those delicious biscuits from the previous day to curb her appetite for now - but the man was _still_ nagging her. Where they were heading, she was not certain, so she upped her pace to try and match his stride as she asked, "Just _where_ are we going in such a hurry?"

He didn't look at her, "South."

"South?"

"We're catchin' a train. Can't be late."

"A _'train'_?" What was a _train_? This was all so sudden, "What for?"

"Take a guess."

Oh, so _that_ was how he was going to play this off as. Now she understood, "Ah, so you _are_ going to cooperate still. Excellent."

"I ain't doin' this for you, you know."

"Did I say you were?" Judging from the lack of a response to that, she was in the right, "I trust you know what you're doing?"

"Mostly."

" _Mostly?_ "

She got no response from him. This man was terrible with reassurance. It's no wonder he prefered to be filled in from the start and left to his own means. She instead tossed out the next question on her mind, "What _is_ a train? Certainly it's not some sort of animal."

He threw an incredulous look at her over his shoulder, "Are you serious?" She gave him a pointed look, "Big, metal, runs off coal. You really don't know?"

"I'm not from this place."

"Obviously." There was something snarky about how he said it that didn't sit well with her.

Her attention was pulled from the man by the destination they had arrived at on the other end of the settlement. It was wide open space, with some metal rails running along the ground and into the distance next to a few smaller buildings that seemed like a storage area. In the middle sat a large metal _thing_ that sat upon them. So _that_ was a train? How... grungy. The bounty hunter had motioned for her to pause and continue to follow him as they made their way off to the side, away from the train. What was he doing?

"Bounty hunter-"

He shushed her as he looked in both directions as they took cover behind a stack of crates off to the side. How dare he silence her like that! It was becoming awfully difficult to continually place her trust in this man if he refused to let her speak her mind. He seemed to be eying one of the attachments off the back of the first part of this train that had its door partially open. These must be used for transporting things in bulk, depending on how fast it could move. Such a mechanism was completely new to her, and it was irritating to even try to describe it in her own head. There was a rush of steam that came from the wheels of the contraption, and the front end was now beginning to emit smoke from the top of it. The bounty hunter took this as a queue to move ahead to the opened portion, turning back to gesture for her to follow as he pulled it open just enough that they could squeeze through. She stepped in first, ignoring his offer of help, noticing that the only thing of interest were several crates secured to the back end and a few near the front. He joined her in the dimly lit area and motioned for her to move to the back away from the opening. Not long after that, was it pulled completely shut from the outside, the only light pouring through from narrow, open slats on the one side. It was more than enough to banish complete darkness, however. Thank goodness.

It was now that she was able to get some words in, "I feel as though what we're doing is..."

"Illegal?"

She shrugged, "I was going to suggest ' _morally questionable_ ', but yes."

He didn't answer her, and instead chose to lean against the metal wall and fold his arms over his chest as if he was trying to get comfortable.

She voiced her newest thought, "You've done this before, I presume?"

"Few times."

Tanya _had_ to squeeze more out of him than that short answer, "Have you ever been caught?"

A shrug, "Once. Spent a week in jail."

"I see." She couldn't help but prod at him some more, "So you _are_ a wanted man."

"Not so much 'wanted'. _Known_ is more like it."

She let out a short chuckle, "Whatever helps you sleep at night, bounty hunter."

She reached out to steady herself on the closest wall as the whole floor lurched forwards, and a repetitive sound of metal moving against metal was suddenly heard from the outside. She cringed at the loud sound that released before the jerkiness of the motion smoothed out into a rhythmic one. If only she'd been able to get some rest last night...

The bounty hunter hadn't missed her expression and had no qualms of prodding _her_ , "Seems like _you_ could use it more than me."

"Do not patronize me, bounty hunter. I'm not in the mood for your antics akin to those of yesterday."

"It wasn't patronizing. It was an observation." He sighed and leaned his head back on the metal, "You didn't sleep at all, did you?"

She decided to sit down upon one of the crates on the opposite side of him, her legs starting to cramp up after having no rest with all the walking that was associated with the day before, "Not at all, if you must know." She narrowed her eyes, "You didn't help any."

He waved a hand, "Jacobs wasn't wrong, you know. Was a long day, with a lot of bullshit. Was easy to forget how much you paid me up front."

"How could _you_ forget?" She was honestly clueless how a man who so loved coin could forget such a thing.

"Strong drink and decent food." He waited a long moment before adding, "If it's any consolation, didn't sleep worth a shit last night either."

"Unless it affects your job performance, I could care less."

He shrugged, "Fair point."

She stretched before crossing her legs, "So why are we riding upon this... train? Is it that far?"

"Unless you wanted to walk a dozen miles with your legs actin' up, this was the better way."

She glared at him, "You should focus on the task at hand. Not whether my legs are _'actin' up'_ or not."

"Whatever you want. I'm just sayin', this makes it easier for the both of us."

"Of _course_ it does."

He shook his head, "You've got a lovely pair of legs, but even _you_ gotta take a break sometimes."

Either she was _really_ tired, or he was suddenly very bold, "I think it'd be best if you stopped talking."

"It's just a compliment." Before she could reply he shoved his hat further down on his head to obscure his eyes, "It's still gonna be a while before we get there. Train only goes so fast, but it's better than nothin'."

From the way he'd shifted his position leaning on the metal wall, he didn't expect much of a response. Fortunately for him, Tanya had had enough of his ridiculous answers. She supposed she should at least be thankful he wasn't as aggravating as he had been the night before. She leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. She should probably take this time to get some form of rest, even if it was just going through the motion. At least she'd have some quiet time to herself, since the bounty hunter seemed to not be in such a talkative mood. Then again, when was he ever? She cast a sidelong glance out one of the narrow open slats in the metal door, watching the terrain pass by at a fairly quick rate. Well, he was right about the walking part, at least. Even if this metal carriage was dim and tremulous, it was taking her _somewhere_ at least. Next to the sunlight warming up the side of the wall she was leaning on, she found herself drifting into a dreamless slumber without her even taking notice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, long time no post!  
> I just want to apologize for the month's absence. First it was being stumped on Chapter 8, then I procrastinated on starting to type it up, and then I had a bunch of personal stuff come up and it's really just been a crappy month in general so far :'D
> 
> But I'm hoping I can start to make up for it a little before it's over! I'm posting this Chapter now because it's a bit overdue imo because it's basically been sitting done for a month [all I did today was edit a couple words] gfshdfhs
> 
> I've also been in a bit of a drawing phase lately, and I tend to bounce between writing and drawing sometimes [rarely do I do both, lmao] OTL  
> But I'm gonna try to get off my butt and just write up some stuff! I have an original comic-thing I've been meaning to start for the past like, three years [low self-confidence at its finest], and I'm debating on working on an AU for a different fandom I'm into [the newest Volume of RWBY just premiered Saturday and it's sooooo good!].
> 
> But now I'm rambling sdghjhdf
> 
> Hope this chapter's alright!  
> I'm trying to keep myself focused with these chapters by trying to make every chapter... meaningful? Like, every chapter has a reason for being there, whether it's just to move the story along or whatever. Seemingly pointless fillers don't always go over well ;u;  
> I'd also like to mention quick [in case I haven't before] that I DO have the ending to this fic planned out... it's just everything else in-between that's giving me some grief :')


	8. Chapter 8

The disgustingly abrasive sound of metal grinding upon metal startled her awake, with nothing less than the beginnings of a new headache trailing after. With a groan, she shifted herself into a proper sitting position, stretching her arms and legs as she cracked her back while regaining some sense of comfort. Her thigh was sore from sitting cross-legged for so long - however long that was - and she didn't quite enjoy how lax she had allowed herself to become. The bounty hunter hadn't disturbed her at all, which came as a pleasant surprise. Though presumably from how he stood now, he'd awakened before she had - if he'd even slept at all. The screeching sound had only paused momentarily before it dragged out again, prompting a hand to her head in an attempt to stave off the throbbing sensation in her temples.

  
  
An expulsion of air - presumably his version of a half-scoff, half-laugh - came from the man's direction, "Enjoy yer beauty sleep while you could?"  
  
She rolled her eyes in return, "Considerably enough, before that atrocious sound picked up."  
  
"Means we're almost done this trip."  
  
"It's about time. I could do without this queer mode of transportation."  
  
She could practically 'hear' his smirk with his irritating know-it-all response, "This is just the first ride. It's a two-way trip, you know."  
  
"I would've preferred to focus on the task ahead, and not the journey back... but _you're_ probably looking forward to it."  
  
There was a rather long pause before he answered, "If that's how you wanna think of it, sure."  
  
"You're being awfully vague."  
  
"And _you_ aren't?"  
  
Suddenly her reprieve from the mercenary seemed far too short-lived, "If all you plan to do is argue, then I suggest you take it elsewhere."  
  
"Maybe you should listen to your own 'advice' sometime." He turned his attention to the giant sliding doors of the metal carriage, "We'll have to travel the rest of the way on foot. It's not too far from here."  
  
It would make sense that this place would be out of the way, after what had been mentioned about it's usual inhabitants the previous night. It just happened to be convenient enough to warrant travel in such a manner.  
  
"I trust you know where you're going. I am not concerned."  
  
A little flattery could go a long way. She'd known this for a long time now.

  
  
After a repeat of the cautious process of getting on the 'train' - in reverse of course - they made their way through the open area to the hamlet it was on the edge of, while keeping an eye out for others who may have noticed their presence. When they were clear of the structures, Tanya voiced a concern, "For a place that just received a shipment of... whatever it may have been... it was awfully devoid of people."  
  
"Agreed. Heard rumours a while back that a group of marauders had taken control of that rail line. Gives 'em an easy way to transport blastin' powder and weapons and such without much outside interference."  
  
"Blasting powder?" She'd never heard the term, and wondered how literal it was.  
  
"Explosives. Usually use 'em for clearin' out rock and minin' in the cliffs."  
  
"Ah, I see. Marauders have no... _practical_ uses for it then?"  
  
He shrugged, "Minin's pretty lucrative these days, with the 'rush' and all. Wouldn't surprise me if they were usin' it for such."  
  
"Is it as lucrative as Jacobs' 'real estate' business?"  
  
The irritated sigh that followed was exactly what she'd wanted out of him, "What Jacobs considers 'lucrative' ain't exactly _my_ definition's prime example."  
  
"I think I see what you mean." She paused a moment in consideration before adding, "Where I come from, _your_ career is only a small part of the lucrative possibilities."  
  
"Where _do_ you come from, anyway?"  
  
She knew he'd bring it up eventually, but he was hardly subtle about it - which she'd expected, "Not from around here. That's all you need to know, for now."  
  
His eyes narrowed, "You keep sayin' that... Better come good on it eventually."  
  
"Do not worry, bounty hunter." She offered what she hoped to be a convincing enough smile, "I am a woman of my word."  
  
"That'd be a first." It was more of a comment to himself, but it didn't seem directed at her so she paid it little mind.

  
  
The bounty hunter was reliable like she'd hoped he'd be. Within the hour, they were overlooking the entrance to the cave from a raised area some distance away - a familiar situation. Similar to the 'train' yard from earlier, this place was devoid of people, though she assumed for more explainable reasons. True to what she'd read in tomes and what she'd learned in her short time here, Earthrealmers seemed to fear what they did not understand. It wasn't something _she_ could relate to, certainly. The bounty hunter also didn't seem to share the fear of such things... but perhaps if he understood them, he'd come to change his mind about it? It was quite interesting to consider, but yet again before she could continue her contemplation, the man's gruff voice cut into her thoughts, "So what is it we're lookin' for?"  
She glanced at him across her shoulder as he awaited an answer. It was then she recalled why he sounded so... snippy.  
 _'I always expect details up front...'_  
Yet Jacobs had insisted he didn't ask questions when he was paid... unless he'd already known what to do - Tanya had neglected to fill him in on her plans, and she still had little intention of doing so. He wouldn't understand.

  
  
But he _would_ understand a vague, general _reason_ if she was persuasive enough.

  
  
Eventually she'd have to tell him the truth, especially since they could be so close to the clue she was looking for... but for now, she'll stick to being exactly what he'd constantly accused her of being - vague.  
  
"Whatever the little man was speaking about... What he was going to send you to do anyway, but neglected to mention?"  
  
His brow furrowed, "Would've helped if he'd told me. After last night, he avoided me like the plague."  
  
"An... interesting euphemism."  
  
"True either way, hence why I'm askin' _you_."  
  
"And what would I know about it? The short man seemed afraid to even glance in my direction, lest something struck him down from above."  
  
The corners of his eyes crinkled for the briefest moment before resuming, "You jumped on the idea quick enough. Thought you'd have a plan, at least."  
  
This was quickly becoming frustrating, "Look bounty hunter... just leave that to me to figure out. You're acting as a guide and bodyguard right now, alright?"  
  
He sighed, "Thought I said I wasn't a guide?"  
  
"And _I_ thought I paid you enough to stop complaining. Let's just continue forward and focus on the task at hand."  
  
All he did was shake his head dismissively in response, prompting her to take the lead as they made their way down from the rock face.

  
  
Observing the surrounding area around the entrance, there were signs of recent activity. Judging by the crates lying about, whoever was here - whether they were marauders like the bounty hunter suspected or otherwise - was obviously transporting or moving something. Perhaps his hunch wasn't so far-off after all? Even she didn't quite understand why she had so little faith in him. Enough to continue as she was of course, but perhaps her own stubbornness was getting the best of her. When she was younger, she had been scolded for being too headstrong and not having enough discretion when dealing with others - especially since many of the sessions she'd attended were also host to members from the royal family.   
Everything was a _game_ , but to win, she needed to find a balance with herself.   
  
She thought she'd had that after working for the likes of Shao Kahn and his little snake of a sorcerer, Shang Tsung. But this time away from what she knew well was bringing about idle thoughts of self-doubt that were _never_ there before and _completely_ unacceptable. She knew herself better than anyone could ever dream of knowing, and some time spent in a place like _this_ with people she distrusted and disliked would not change that.

  
  
Shaking her head to clear the remnants of such toxic thoughts away, she made her way over to the entrance of the cavern, of which she now noticed had been hastily boarded up. The bounty hunter had presumably been triple-checking the perimeter to  ensure they hadn't been followed - he'd been on edge since they'd left the train earlier - before joining her. Ever the clever cretin, he commented on the barricaded entrance, "Looks like someone was tryin' to keep people out."  
  
"An astute observation, bounty hunter."  
  
He shot her a nasty look before elaborating, "Whatever it was, ain't some 'ghost' like people were sayin'. Probably just someone coverin' up their tracks after some shady dealin's."  
  
She decided to press him, "Who's to say spirits cannot do such things?"  
  
"'Cause they don't exist." His tone was incredibly 'final'. He didn't want to argue.  
  
For once, neither did she, "Debatable, but I doubt that's what's ocurring here." Giving the entrance another quick-over, she added, "Besides, whoever's responsible for this wasn't that concerned. Such sloppy craftsmanship." To prove her point, she gestured to it, "You could pry it open with one hand. Try it."  
  
He gave her a long, hard look before doing so. Curiosity had probably gotten the better of him. After all, men of _all_ backgrounds certainly seemed to enjoy showing off.

  
  
Sure enough, the board popped off and clattered to the ground easily enough with minimal effort on the bounty hunter's part. Giving him a sly, knowing look, she simply slipped between a relatively narrow space closer to the ground to pass through, appreciating keeping her hands clean from such dreaded manual labour. He glared at her from the other side as she stood and watched him rip away enough boards that he could pass through. Had he actually _asked_ for help, she would've obliged. Alas, perhaps he was too proud for such a thing. Amusing as it was, it reminded her a lot of several others she'd worked with in the past. He joined her momentarily and had already begun walking straight into the cavern, without a word to her. She, however, had paused to look back from where they'd come from, and it had prompted him to halt his step, perhaps more out of irritation than anything.  
  
"What, you expectin' someone?'  
  
She frowned, "No, but your kind seem to be about as persistent as vermin. So... I suppose I was expecting someone. Or _something_."  
  
She turned at the sound of him unholstering one of his weapons, "Then let's make this quick. Have a feelin' it won't be quiet for long..."  
  
His words were cryptic yet knowing... but she had the same feeling regardless, "Agreed."

  
  
The cave system was arguably closer to simply being a tunnel cut into the rock face, as it was without branching paths, but was deep enough to bring about a rather cold draft. There were a few torches along the walls, but many were no longer lit, leaving patches of very dim lighting along the way. The transition between the hot, dry weather outside and the semi-damp air in here was anything but pleasant. She decided to take her mind off it by inquiring about this place to the bounty hunter, who still had a hand on his weapon, "Is this a natural cave system, do you think? Or is it artificial?"  
  
He thought about it for a moment before responding with a short, "No."  
  
"No? Well that doesn't answer anything."  
  
He sighed, obviously unable to relieve himself of his own tension, "No, I don't _think_ it's natural. Heard 'bout it, but not much."  
  
"I thought you knew this area well?" She'd lowered her voice, as she disliked the echo that was occasionally picking up the sound.  
  
"Only been here a while."  
  
"Jacobs said you'd been here a few years."  
  
A dissatisfied grunt, "Jacobs says a lot of things." He paused a moment before adding, "Didn't realize my personal life was that interesting to you... or _him_."  
  
She didn't mind if the bounty hunter later confronted the scarred man about it at a later point. It was a situation with consequences that hardly affected her, "It's not as if you've been willing to talk much. Although you seem considerably more sociable today, I must mention."  
  
He brushed it off, "Not really. _You_ just don't stop talking."  
  
She shrugged, "Talking is something I'm good at." Something she also preferred, if faced with a choice.  
  
He just shook his head and continued looking forward into the ever dimming tunnel as they continued onward.

  
  
A few more minutes of walking in silence, and they had reached a dead-end - _the_ end, as this really only seemed to go one way. Her eyes had adjusted to the nearly dark surroundings, and she managed to catch the motion of the bounty hunter crossing his arms in her peripheral.  
  
"I _knew_ it was bullshit."  
  
Tanya however, wasn't convinced. There was something about this place that just wasn't making itself known to her. Unlike when she was anywhere outside the first three-quarters of the 'tunnel' where the air was heavy and lacking a certain 'something' - of which even she couldn't describe in proper terms - this place wasn't quite like that. Still not as prominent as if she were back in Edenia or Outworld, but more so than it has been during her short time here, and that was enough for her to work with. While the bounty hunter was completely oblivious to the sensation, she wasn't. That was all that mattered. Now it was just a matter of uncovering the source of it.

  
  
In the meantime, she voiced a thought, "This place is definitely _not_ haunted. Rather..." She ran her fingertips across a portion of the stone wall, feeling for any anomalies in the aura emanating from the cave, "It seems our suspicions of someone - or _something_ \- trying to keep us away may be correct."  
  
"By leadin' us to a dead-end?"  
  
"This may not be a dead-end, bounty hunter. Or, this could be what I was looking for."   
  
"This seems like a set-up to me."  
  
She ignored him and moved over to the dead-end itself, and the difference made itself clear. There could be something past this wall, but she couldn't be certain. Not yet.  
"Do you have a light of some kind?"  
  
He gave her a puzzled look, "A light?"  
  
"A light _source_ , then. I need to see something, but it's too dark as it is."  
  
He scoffed before rummaging in a back pocket, presumably for what she was asking. He produced a small box-looking object in one hand, and something else that was smaller and thinner in the other, from what she could see. Before she could inquire what it was for, he struck the smaller of the two objects against the other, and a flame came to life on the end of it - which she now realized was a peculiar little stick with something on the end of it - with enough light to bounce off the narrow walls and increase visibility substantially. What was that? A flame produced from thin air by scraping a stick on a hard surface? As uncharacteristic as it was for her, she was so _enthralled_ by such a strange little thing. The only time she has seen fire produced outside of traditional, barbaric means was through the use of magic, but this was certainly no magic trickery.   
  
She would have to ask about it after, for the bounty hunter was curt, "Be quick, would you? These ain't exactly cheap."  
  
She did not argue, and turned her attention back to the wall after tearing herself away from the small but mighty flame he held between his fingertips. Lo and behold, the light was just bright enough to make out what seemed to be scratches of some kind on the wall. They almost looked like...

  
  
The light flickered out before she could recognize it for certain, and she snapped at he man, "Bring it back! I just need another moment."  
  
"Alright, hold yer horses." He casually tossed the expended fire-making stick on the ground, and pulled out another one from a different pocket this time, lighting it just as quickly as the first one. This time, she didn't dwell on the fascinating concept, and instead Tanya focused on a select few of the more prominent marks - no... there were _symbols_. Touching her fingertips to one, it felt as though some small amount of force was trying to push her away. It was then with stunning clarity, she recognized what these were. As if sensing what she was at last, or at least where she'd come from, the symbols illuminated under her touch in a lustrous light that completely drowned out the dying light from the bounty hunter. She couldn't help but smile. See? She had no reason to doubt herself so quickly! Her instinct had yet to lead her astray.

  
  
"The hell is _this_?"  
  
The bounty hunter's voice brought her out of her own stupor, "Just as I suspected. Wards." She stepped back to admire the twinkling symbols carved into the rugged walls, "A sorcerer has been here, and it appears they did not want the local mortals stumbling upon their work... or something along those lines." She'd mostly been thinking aloud and was not expecting any answer.  
  
There was no answer for quite some time until he spoke again, his tone _far_ from trusting, "I think you ought to start explainin' yourself _real_ quick."  
  
She gave him an incredulous look, "Is that a _threat_ , bounty hunter? You should know how I feel about-"  
  
"Just shut up and start talkin'. What the _hell_ is goin' on here?"  
  
A small part of her had been hoping she wouldn't have to try to worm herself out of this so soon. She also hadn't expected him to suddenly become so _hostile_ , either. Alas, this wasn't something she could leave hanging anymore, as she still required his assistance. Having him walk away now would be devastating, now that she had her first big piece to this puzzle. She _couldn't_ have that happen now.  
  
With a heavy sigh, she decided to take the riskier route with the truth, "I doubt you'll believe a single word of it... so do me a favour?" He only held his glare, "Keep an open mind. In fact, just _pretend_ it makes sense to you."  
  
"I'm listenin'."  
  
"I'll sum this up quickly: _I am not from this realm_. I was thrown through a portal by a petulant, backstabbing sorcerer of whom I was sent to deal with. Now I'm here, miserable, and need to find a portal to go back from whence I came. Is that good enough for you?"  
  
He took a _long_ moment to process the information, "...So let me get this straight. You're tellin' me yer not from this world -"  
  
" _Realm_ , actually."  
  
"- and a 'sorcerer' put you through a portal... that brought you _here_?"  
  
"Indeed. I'd never come to this realm of my own accord."  
  
"So now yer tryin' to go back to... wherever you came from -"  
  
"Outworld."  
  
"...Right... by _hopin'_ by some slim chance you find another of them... 'portals'?"  
  
"Well, it doesn't need to take me directly to Outworld. Really, a portal to any realm besides this one is good enough at this point."  
  
He frowned, his brow creasing under his hat, "How do you know there's even a way back 'round here?"  
  
A smirk. He'd rapidly changed his demeanour from hostile to... curious? Better than the former, anyway, "Well there's certainly plenty of evidence that other 'mystical' beings have been here, besides myself. I've read tomes in my youth about this realm... besides, the answer is right in front of us."  
  
He cast a glance at the glowing words on the wall. He'd never understand what they read... not that there was much to them, anyway. They were more akin to incantations than conversational speak, if she had to make a comparison. He motioned to them with a jerk of his head, "The 'wards'?"  
  
"Precisely. They're commonly used by sorcerers to protect their studies, residencies, or... other valuable things. _Sorcerers_ are the only ones able to conjure portals between and within realms, so theoretically speaking, there should be one somewhere nearby they used to return from wherever they came from. It's just a matter of finding it." Though Gods and Elder Gods could create portals as well... he didn't need to know any of those little details right now.  
  
After a brief lapse, he shrugged, "Don't sound all that difficult when you put it that way."  
  
 _Unbelievable._  
  
She quickly collected herself, "You're taking this _surprisingly_ well."  
  
"Take out the illogical bullshit, an' it makes perfect sense to me."  
  
For the first time in a long, _long_ time, Tanya let out a genuine laugh - one of those silly, girlish laughs at that. It was a foreign feeling to her, but it was not entirely unpleasant. The bounty hunter on the other hand, seemed irritated that she'd seemingly laughed in his face about it, so she said, "Well, you keep doing what you do best, bounty hunter." With a knowing smile, she added, "You'll be rid of me in no time."

  
  
The silence that followed was somewhat awkward, but she paid it no mind. Now, she had one more thing left to do before they left this dreary cavern. The discovery of the wards, despite not revealing anything else - whoever was here has long since been gone - were still of use to _her_. Wards don't last forever, especially if the sorcerer who placed them is not nearby for extended periods of time. She guessed that this one has probably been away from the realm itself for quite some time, for them to become so weakened. To her own benefit however, over time they also tended to leech small amounts of mystical energy into the immediate environment, which is what made them detectable in the first place. That precious amount of power - despite how small it could prove to be - was too precious for her to leave behind. Tanya had only done this twice before, but there was no added protection to the wards that prevented anyone with the ability, to channel the magic from them - an easy task, all things considered. The light produced by the symbols dimmed and were drawn to the hand she skimmed against the rock wall, a familiar and pleasant sensation tingling down her arm as it spread. It wasn't much, but it was _something_. Maybe now she could sleep easier without that small piece of herself missing... wouldn't that be lovely?

  
  
She turned back to the bounty hunter after the wards had faded from the walls, leaving them in the dark again. She couldn't quite make out his face, but his voice helped her build a picture of it, "Though you said you ain't a witch?"  
  
"I beg your pardon?"  
  
"Witch... 'Sorcerer', whatever you called it. That... glowin' thing yer doin' implies somthin' else."  
  
"Glowing thing?"  
  
"Eyes ain't supposed to do that."  
  
Now she realized what he was referring to, "Ah... _that_. Nothing more than a temporary surge of energy. In this realm, I doubt it'll hold form, you need not worry."  
  
He huffed, "I don't get a lick o' what's goin' on."  
  
She was dismissive, as she wanted nothing more than to leave now, "It'll make sense eventually, I'm sure."

  
He didn't protest further as he trailed behind her. Thank goodness for that. The mercenary was obviously still skeptical of her claims, despite them being the truth and him physically _seeing_ proof of it. It was written all over what she could see of his face now and the tone of his voice when he'd made mention of it. That was something he needed to figure out on his own. For now, Tanya was beginning to feel _powerful_ again. Though she still carried no weapons and did not have enough power - at least, not yet - to make use of pyromancy, she was one step closer to her goal. Once they got back outside - and hopefully back to civilization again for she was already sick of this place - they would formulate a new plan of attack. She now needed a way to follow in this sorcerer's footprints... retrace their steps to find the portal she needed to be rid of this realm for good. She thought back to her observations of the wards from a few minutes before. Weak as they were, whoever this was has not returned in some time. That, or the only other possibility being that they were simply not a proficient sorcerer at the time. Both were entirely possible, and she assumed she'd find out once she got on the right track towards finding what she needed.

  
The sun was a welcome sight as they passed through the remains of the entryway's cover-up. She took a short moment to bask in the warmth, taking away the chill that had creeped up on her. The bounty hunter stopped a few steps ahead of her - when Tanya opened her eyes again she noticed he was surveying the surrounding area like he had before they'd entered. He was still on edge after all this time? She supposed they hadn't been in there for _that_ long, but could she blame him for being cautious? She was much the same way, at times that called for it, "Is everything in order, bounty hunter?"  
  
He turned at the sound of her voice, "Yeah."  
  
"I'm surprised we didn't have company by now... based on what you mentioned before."  
  
"'Bout that feelin' we're bein' watched?"  
  
She sobered instantly when she caught the inconsistency, "That's not what you said. You seemed certain something was coming."  
  
His glare held no weight, "I was... now I ain't so sure."  
  
"That seems... unhelpful."  
  
"We should get moving." With that, they began to take their leave.

  
  
He spoke as they walked, "What're we doin' now, anyway?"  
  
She was honestly surprised he asked, since he seemed so willing to simply assume what came next - he was rather good at that, by now, "Go back from whence we came. I need to think this all over and make a plan."  
  
"Back to Donnigan's, eh? Whatever you want. It's a long walk though... might not make it back 'fore dark."  
  
"Honestly, I could probably sleep easier outdoors than in that place." She then decided to play along with his suddenly content mannerism, "What would _you_ suggest we do?"  
  
He did that half-scoff, half-laugh again, short and gruff, "Yer askin' me? That's a first." When she didn't give a response, he continued, "If we don't go too far East from the rails, we should be fine, even if it gets dark."  
  
Ah, the conversation from the terrible dinner she'd had was all rushing back to her. All those years of practice listening in to conversations was paying off, "Because of the 'redskins', yes?"  
  
"Right. Surprised you remembered that."  
  
"I'm quite good at remembering little things like that. Small details can make or break a man in a court." She couldn't help but brag.  
  
It certainly rewarded her with a blank stare, "...Right." He continued his initial thought, "I ain't riskin' gettin' either of our heads on a pole. We stick to the West, we'll be fit as a fiddle."  
  
"I'd much prefer that, yes." She smiled.  
  


* * *

  
On the opposite side of the outcrops surrounding the quarry, the bounty hunter's suspicions rang true. Several pairs of eyes were observing from a distance. As they were leaving, one of the men spoke to the leading figure, "What's the plan 'ere, Toms? We take 'em down now?"  
  
A hand waved dismissively, a toothy smirk crawling upon the man's face, "Nah. Wait 'till the boss-man gets here. He'll wanna piece o' Black once he knows 'bout what happened to Billy."  
"But it was the _witch_ who did it!"  
  
He rolled his eyes, "Like it matters who did it. They're both gonna get what's comin' to 'em..." He paused to glance back to the man to his right who was fiddling with a knife in his hand, "Maybe stick the 'gal in the leg 'fore we hand 'em over though. 'Fer the kid, o' course. Boss'll understand."  
  
There were a few dastardly chuckles that emanated through the group of men before the leader stood up, "Right lads. Looks like we're headin' home for a spell." He turned to another man, "Keep an eye on Wolfpoint, would ya? Make sure they ain't leavin' 'fore we get back."  
  
The man nodded in acknowledgement, "Of course. Wouldn't wanna disappoint Abe by missin' 'em."  
  
"Atta man."

  
With that, the men began to head to their destination - an encampment to the West, barely a few hours journey away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been like 40 years since I last updated this on here, and I honestly don't know why. This version of the fic was missing a chapter compared to the one on FanFiction net :/
> 
> I'm updating this with the next chapter though, since I finally finished typing that bad boy up!  
> Hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think!
> 
> Also kind of changed the formatting a little, so I'm hoping it's a little easier to read.   
> I tend to cramp up my writing when I probably don't need to.


	9. Chapter 9

Tanya was uncertain if she wished to continue the conversation they'd become engrossed in as they'd left the quarry. She should really be mulling over ideas on where to go and what to look for, but the mood had picked up substantially since she'd regained that tiny portion of magic. Not to mention the bounty hunter had been more than willing to entertain her questions and comments. He was actually quite tolerable when he was in such a mood. Should she take advantage of such and continue talking? Or should she not run the risk of overstaying her welcome and upsetting him?  
  
Bah, his feelings on it be damned. She was feeling chatty today - she blamed it on the lack of sleep.  
  
"Bounty hunter, if I may?"  
  
"Yeah?" He didn't look at her, but the verbal acknowledgment was enough to encourage her to continue.  
  
"Are these 'redskins' you speak of... some kind of barbaric people? A tribe, perhaps? Your people seem to think lowly of them."  
  
He sighed, but it wasn't out of irritation of the question itself, "Yes an' no."  
  
"That's not an answer."  
  
"They're just... Indians, natives, 'redskins', 'savages'. All means the same thing."  
  
How curious, "'Natives'? So your people are not from this place? Or is the term 'redskin' not literal?"  
  
He gave her a bewildered look, "Wha-? No, no. _Look_ , I don't think 'bout this much. Yer better off askin' some old feller 'bout that stuff, not me."  
  
"It sounds to me like you're avoiding my question."

  
  
"Tanya," His use of her name caught her attention, "I wasn't raised all fine 'n proper like you. Got different reasons for things out here. All I know is that I was always told they was _bad news_. Nothin' more, nothin' less."  
  
"I understand. Raised a certain way, you subconsciously start having the same opinions on things."  
  
He shook his head, "Wouldn't call it an 'opinion', so much as a 'lifestyle'."  
  
She was silent for a moment before adding, "So... You _would_ consider them a barbaric people?"  
  
"I've seen the damage they do. Don't know if it's justified, but it's damage nonetheless. Murder, even rumours they were burnin' small towns to the ground 'fore they was pushed East."  
  
"Sounds barbaric to me. Does it _need_ to be justified?"  
  
He made a sort of 'clicking' noise, "Depends."  
  
"On what, exactly?"  
  
He turned to give her a glare over his shoulder at her, "Just why do you care so much 'bout it?"  
  
She shrugged, "I'm just curious to understand the situation, is all."  
  
"What, things like that don't happen back where yer from?"  
  
She'd be lying if she said they didn't. Edenia was always a relatively peaceful realm, but there _had_ been other beings alongside the Edenians... where did _they_ go, she wondered? Perhaps they had faded from history. Perhaps the Edenians had attempted to write them out of history altogether? She never did look into it much, for her Father had wanted her to focus on the more political side of her studies. On the other hand, if she focused on Outworld... things like that were so commonplace. With so many realms merged together, it was a wonder there weren't more wars as it was. Maybe it was akin, in a sense, to what seemed to be happening _here_? Two similar but culturally different beings clashing and struggling to remain on top - perhaps because, from what it sounded like, one was more advanced than the other? She shook her head. She was thinking too deeply into a subject she shouldn't care about.  
  
With a sigh, she merely gave the bounty hunter - still awaiting a reply - a simple, "Of course."

  
  
After this, there was a long break in conversation. How quickly she'd killed the mood! She instead took to glancing at the surroundings and trying to take her mind off the lethargy that had rapidly set in. This area had more greenery than the place she had first ended up... definitely easier on the eyes, but still far too dusty for her liking. There were no man-made landmarks within sight besides the track they followed - staying within view of it but not too close just in case. Last thing they needed was another of those horrendous transportation devices to come barreling through to give her _another_ headache. ' _This is hopeless_.' She needed more than just these terribly _boring_ thoughts - glorified small talk, really - to keep her occupied... but what could she say that would spark an entertaining conversation? Not in a bad way, of course. More of a means to an end than anything actually important.

 

She decided to simply pick on the bounty hunter himself, for a change, "Why do you wear a mask in _this_ heat? Surely it must be uncomfortable."  
  
"In this profession, it's better to not show yer face if you don't have to." He sounded about as enthusiastic as she felt right now. Strange how that worked.  
  
"Of course." She paused to think for a moment before adding, "It's rather crude... but strangely befitting of you."  
  
"An' what's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"You're much better looking with half your face obscured." A rather petty remark, but it made her smile even the slightest bit. That was good enough for her.  
  
He narrowed his eyes at her in a fleeting glance, "Yer breakin' my heart." With a sigh, he changed the subject, "You sure you're alright?"  
  
She blinked, "Where's this coming from?"  
  
His back was facing her again, "You don't sound so cheery no more. I'd notice when you sound like yer sick of talkin'."  
  
"Ha, very funny." He wasn't wrong though... perhaps that's what irked her most about it? She didn't want to argue. She didn't even want to keep walking anymore, at this point.  
  
"I'm just sayin', if you want a break, just say the word. Wouldn't mind stoppin' for a bit, honestly."  
  
Was it stubbornness that was edging her to say 'no' and keep pushing past the pain and fatigue? Perhaps. It may have been pride, "No, I think I'll be fine."  
  
"You don't sound convinced." No matter what it was, it wasn't enough to persuade _him_ any different, "Stop for a moment."

  
  
She made her way over to a small patch of grass and simply slumped down upon it, not caring if the rich silk sash she wore would become dirty because of it. The relief of being off her feet was bittersweet, for they ached and throbbed despite not putting any weight on them. The bounty hunter sat down on a flat-edged rock a short distance away, silently observing the area around them while they rested. She was almost tempted to lay completely down, but decided against it. Better to be more prepared if something happens, yes? That's what she told herself, anyhow. The last thing she wanted to admit to herself, was that she was getting a little _too_ comfortable in this realm. That was _unacceptable_.  
  
The thought was cut off by an abrupt question from the man, "I don't get how you can even walk in those boots."  
  
She raised a brow at his choice in subject matter, "You didn't seem concerned before." He simply grunted in response. She added, "Besides... you get used to it if you wear them long enough. Like anything, really."  
  
"'Suppose that makes sense."  
  
"It would, were you in my place." This was a situation where there would be an awkward silence, if neither of them said anything - or so she thought, anyway - so she thought back to an earlier inconsistency she noticed, "You said this was a two-way trip earlier. I assumed that was implying returning on that horrendous metal carriage."  
  
"I only knew when it was leavin', not when it was makin' a return trip." His brow furrowed, "Even then, I ain't so sure about it."  
  
Doubt? From him? Not the most reassuring thing he could've said, "What do you mean?"  
  
He shrugged, "Somethin' don't feel right about it. Feelin' like yer bein' watched... lookin' back on it, the whole situation stinks."  
  
She sat forward as she pondered his words, "You believe you're being tricked?"  
  
"Not tricked," He shook his head, "No... just feelin' like there's more to watch out for than there used to be."  
  
A smile crossed her face, though it was entirely uncalled for regarding the context behind it. He noticed and cocked a brow in question, but she elaborated, "A feeling many are familiar with, I'm sure."  
"That somethin' worth smilin' 'bout?"  
  
"It's simply something I may be able to relate to, for a change. There's always dangers all around, but sometimes it's easy to forget about them... something that's equally as dangerous to do. In Outworld, it's much simpler to just assume that anyone and anything is an enemy. 'Trust only yourself', and all that."  
  
The bounty hunter gave her a hard stare, "Don't sound all that different from here."  
  
She scoffed, "You are so naive." She received a scathing glare in return, so she elaborated, "There are... parallels certainly, between this realm and that one. But Outworld is full of entities your kind would never believe in... _far_ more dangerous, I would argue."

  
  
"An' that'd be 'entities' like...?" He challenged her open-ended statement. He wasn't _just_ going to take her word for it, that was for certain. A wise man.

She exhaled as she thought about it for a moment, "Well... the Tarkata are probably the most common problem. Filthy savages, the lot of them."  
  
"'Savages', eh?" He sounded almost amused at her word choice.  
  
"How else would one describe flesh-eating animals that _pretend_ to be even remotely 'civilized' by following the Emperor's every whim because their realm was conquered?" The small bit of irony on the end of that sentence didn't pass by her. The difference between them and her in _that_ aspect, was that she was ultimately in control of the situation.  
  
The bounty hunter huffed, "Point taken." He didn't sound impressed by her statement. Or was that even it? "You certainly got a high opinion of yerself."  
  
Ah. So _that_ was it. Something that Tanya had never been able to overcome was her... _proud_ opinions upon others. It was more of a general Edenian trait, really. She'd listened to Queen Sindel speak at many events before, and her daughter had picked up on all of her pretentious habits. Tanya meanwhile, had taken pride in - and hoped - that she didn't come across _nearly_ as harshly... but here in _this_ realm with _this_ man who had no other examples of such... he was bound to blow it out of proportion. She didn't believe she was doing anything wrong... and what business was it of his?  
  
After a moment, she finally gave him a curt response, " _Naturally_."

  
He shook his head and scoffed to himself, while he reached for the flask he'd brought with him. She watched from the corner of her eye as he unbuckled that crude mask of his and revealed that less appealing face of his. It was so bizarre to think that this man's whole character to her was built up around that silly thing. He didn't seem like himself without it. It didn't seem to fit. He took a brief swig from it before moving to replace the lid - but he caught her eye. with a roll of his eyes, he held it out in her direction, an offer for her.  
  
He _definitely_ wasn't expecting the blunt refusal that followed immediately after, "Absolutely not."  
  
"It's just a drink-"  
  
"I refuse to share a flask with the likes of _you_ , thank you very much. The less contact, the better."  
  
He gave her a confused look - _much_ more obvious now, without the mask hiding his face - before slowly continuing, "Yer... over thinking this a bit much, ain't you?"  
  
She shot him a glare, "Over thinking _what_? I'm not thirsty."  
  
"You haven't drank anything since this mornin'."  
  
He was right. She was actually _quite_ thirsty, but she'd still refused instantly. In this moment, she was coming up with several reasons why it was a _bad_ idea... but were they reasons? Or excuses? _Get a hold of yourself, Tanya. You'll be out of this damned realm eventually._ And now she was using words she'd picked up on from here in her own thoughts.

  
She was starting to worry that she was losing her mind.

  
  
Without warning, she stood up and brushed off her sash, "We've sat here long enough, I think."  
  
" _You only gave one example_."  
  
She turned and gave him a bewildered look. Now _he_ was the talkative one, and _she_ just wanted to move on with her life, "Excuse me?"  
  
He hadn't moved from his spot, and was just clipping the flask back to his belt. He didn't look at her, "You only gave one example of somethin' worse in yer realm, than this one." He stood up with his mask in-hand, "That don't sound all that bad to me."  
  
Had she had considerably less self-control, she might've actually physically harmed the man in that instance. But she found his sarcastic remark... rather amusing. And she supposed they could speak while they walked. After a long moment, she gave him a small lopsided smile - not quite a smirk, "I suppose I _did_."

  
  
After he fastened the mask back on, they'd continued the journey following the tracks, with the sun now hanging dangerously low on the horizon. For a fleeting moment, she was going to ask how they'd continue to do so once it was completely dark out... but decided against questioning his judgement. After all, she had to have _some_ confidence in him. His voice beside her interjected her thoughts again, "So what else _is_ there to this... 'realm'?"  
  
He still wasn't fully on-board with the idea of multiple realms, he made it obvious in just his tone alone. However, she didn't feel that she was the right person to really be explaining it all to someone who didn't know anything about it - Tanya was _definitely_ no teacher. Not that she should be divulging such information to a mere _Earthrealmer_ anyway... but when she thought about it... was there _really_ that much risk? Once she was back in Outworld, she would probably never hear nor see this man for the rest of her lifetime, and her _superiors_ certainly wouldn't bother with the likes of him unless she took too long to return. _That_ could _not_ happen. If she had her way, she'd prefer to not leave any impression upon this realm at all - as if she'd never even been there. But was it possible _now_?  
  
She shook her head. He was still awaiting a response, and her mind had wandered. Most unlike her, and it was most _irritating_. She played it safe, "I mentioned Tarkata before, yes?"  
  
"Whatever that means, yeah."  
  
"There's also the Shokan." She had to remember that he knew _nothing_ about these races... she should be elaborating on the appearance a little more, "They're large, half-dragon creatures with four arms-"  
  
His face furrowed immediately after the word 'Dragon' had left her lips, "Wait, wait, wait. Yer tellin' me that there's dragon people in your world?"  
  
" _Out_ world."  
  
"An' it's a normal occurrence for you?"  
  
She sighed. What a close-minded little man, "To a degree, yes. They reside underground, but have served the Emperor extremely well during his reign."  
  
He shook his head and muttered to himself, " _Dragon_ -people."  
  
"I'm surprised you're stuck on _that_ , and not the fact they have four arms." She smiled to herself. This whole conversation was bizarre... but surprisingly, not awkward. Maybe she just liked watching him try to comprehend something he'd never heard of until now?

  
  
"I reckon I'd see a four-armed man over a _dragon_ , Tanya."  
  
There he went, dropping her name again. It was a strange thing... probably just because he hadn't said it _much_ , so it sounded odd to her, coming from him. She shrugged in response, "Perhaps I shouldn't mention others, then, if that disturbs you so much."  
  
He seemed to think for a moment, "Which is worst, do you reckon?"  
  
"Worst?" She'd never thought about the races in terms of which was more worse than the others - they were all equally repulsive to her. In terms of _danger_ , she supposed they could be categorized... But she had other ideas, "The Outworlders, of course."  
  
"Outworlders?"  
  
She nodded, "They resemble you or I, to a degree. You cannot trust a single one of them. They'll think of a hundred ways to take advantage of you for their own means if you let them have the chance."  
  
"An' that makes 'em worse than a... Sho-Kahn?"  
  
"Shokan are fighters. Warriors. They _at least_ live by a code of honour." She waved her hand dismissively, "Besides, they're too busy squabbling with the Centaurians to pay this realm much mind. No..." She looked him right in the eye as she finished, "Outworlders are by far the _worst_ things to come from that realm."  
  
In that instance... she so terribly wanted to finish her thought - to slander the name of Shao Kahn, or his oh-so mighty General to someone who would never be able to tell a soul about it. One that mattered, anyway.

  
  
But she held her tongue. Perhaps when she was closer to leaving the realm, she would divulge such gossip. But as of right now, she pushed such _dangerous_ thoughts away.  
Their destination was just within sight now, the shadowy silhouette on the ever darkening horizon, and the bounty hunter commented on such, "Looks like we made it back just in time."  
  
She gave him a nod in response, not exactly paying attention to what he'd said. He'd given her a look when he noticed, and added an unexpected question, "Do these Outworlder types do what you do?"  
  
_That_ caught her attention, "What?"  
  
His eyes were unreadable, "Can Outworlders do all that magic bullshit too? Or is that just yer kind?"  
  
She blinked a few times while thinking about why he'd even ask. Was he concerned? She almost wished he'd never put that mask back on as she started slowly, "Bounty hunter... you underestimate just how... _lacking_... your realm truly is, in the grand scheme of things." He was silent and attentive as they stood - having paused in their trek back as to avoid eavesdroppers, so she continued, "It's _Earthrealm_ that's lacking in magic. Not a whole race, or anything of that sort. _Your_ kind can definitely channel it, I've seen it for myself. This world is just empty for whatever strange reason, and it's... uncomfortable for those that _can_ feel it."  
  
"I thought you said you'd never been to this realm before?"  
  
Did she? She didn't recall saying such, but it might've been hinted at. Regardless, that wasn't important right now, "I haven't. But beings from _your_ realm have been to others." His look was questioning, silently urging her to elaborate for a change. Her shoulders drooped as she looked straight up at the sky in exasperation.  
Should she elaborate? or should she keep her mouth shut like she's supposed to? Did the risk outweigh the benefits? The 'benefits' being a free chance to _finally_ speak her mind without a Kahn Guard - or worse yet, Reiko or Shang Tsung - hovering over her shoulder at every moment, just _waiting_ for her to slip up. Waiting for an excuse to execute her treacherous hide.

  
  
But here... here she wasn't known as a traitor. She wasn't glared at or gossiped about around every corner of the marketplace. In fact, she was treated almost like she was one of _them_ , which was a foreign concept after so many years with such a dubious reputation throughout the other realms. Maybe she _should_ be honest with him? Again... once she was gone, she'd never have to even think about him ever again... and he wasn't important enough to be a concern to anyone else outside his realm. No one else would believe him. _He_ didn't even believe it. That was enough to sway her.

  
  
"Have you ever heard of a concept called ' _Mortal Kombat_ ' by chance, bounty hunter?"  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look, they're warming up to each other sort of. Isn't that nice?
> 
> Did I ever mention I now ship these two super hard because of my own fic? Does that make me a bad person?
> 
> Not planning on making them a thing in this fic though. There's no place for it here! >:/
> 
> Anyway, let me know what you think! Feedback can help me catch things I wouldn't otherwise notice :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! I've long thought about writing a fanfiction for Mortal Kombat - still one of my favourite fighting games to date - but never actually got the guts/motivation to actually write one until now!  
> I really do want to explore this idea through to the end, so here's hoping I'll finish writing this one up! If you wanna stick around for what's to come, go right ahead :)
> 
> I should clear up a couple things before I continue though, to avoid confusion later [if it's not picked up on in this chapter]:
> 
> *This takes place over 150 years before MKX, but it's still in the 'current timeline' [that sounds confusing, I know], so Erron Black's still 'mortal', per se.  
> *Tanya, for the sake of this fanfic [and my personal headcanon] hasn't visited/been to Earthrealm prior to this, and has instead learned of it through tomes and idle chatter [hence her skewed view of it]  
> *Also involving Tanya is yet another headcanon of mine: Her eyes only glow when using her Pyromancer abilities/magic. That is, since Earthrealm is severely lacking in magic in comparison to other realms, she seems a lot more 'human' than she actually is. Her eyes are brown in the absence of magic, like her vanilla appearance in MKX and back in her MK4 days, hence why she wasn't some sort of supernatural sight when meeting the mercenary for the first time [he would've made a comment on it, I'm sure]  
> *Earthrealm obviously does have SOME magic to it [just look at Liu Kang and his fire magic], but it's by no means overflowing with it like Outworld or Edenia is. You'll see what I mean later on, hopefully.
> 
> Alrighty, that clears that up I hope!  
> I apologize if any of the 'canon' characters seem out of character. I've never written them before, and this is just how I've interpreted them based on their lines/personalities in MKX.  
> If anything's super glaring or there's eventual plot holes or errors or anything, please let me know! I haven't written in quite some time, and the help would be appreciated! c:


End file.
